Piche: Between Heaven and Earth (Slyvain Archambault, 2010): Canada

Review by Tim Lopez. Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

Slyvain Archambault delivers a well directed dramatization of the life of Robert Piche. Piche: Between Heaven and Earth is a look back at Piche’s life centered around his heroic landing of Air Transat Flight 236 in August of 2001. Archambault’s film is uniquely crafted as it swings back and forth throughout Piche’s tumultuous life and career as a pilot.

The film begins in a rehabilitation center where Robert Piche is dealing with issues of addiction. From this point on the film does a lot of bouncing around. Piche appears to be a good man whose love for his family is often misguided by bad choices and old habits; habits and choices that land him in rehab along with prison. In prison is where the audience is informed of Piche’s criminal tendencies. However, it’s also where Piche stands out as a man whose poor choices do not reflect the kind of person that he is, or is capable of being. By the end of the film Piche’s heroic act and genuine personality is all that’s left to judge the man.

Archambault does a fairly good job balancing the different time periods. Piche’s life has been defined by moments and choices that left him juggling with some pretty tough decisions and left him stranded in some harsh situations. For this reason, it is fitting that the film attempts juggle so much of Piche’s life. For the most part, Archambault is successful in doing so. Although the film is never boring, at times I think it is easy to feel disconnected from the character. At times during Piche’s stint in prison the audience feeling slightly pulled away from the story. However, it is only momentary as most of the attention is diverted back to Piche’s path to heroism.

Robert Piche saved the lives of just over 300 passengers on that day in August. A story like of this magnitude would no doubt grab the attention of Hollywood producers but never managed to make it’s way across the border. My guess is that it could be because of the timing of the event, having happened just weeks before the terrorist attacks on 9/11. Nevertheless, I am glad the rights to the story were never picked up by Hollywood’s finest. Being a Canadian production I think the film has more of an authentic feel and I think Archambault does a fine job of developing this amazing story.