Boris without Beatrice (Denis Côté, 2016): Canada

     Boris without Beatrice is a movie by Denis Côté. Côte is well know for his widely experimental movies that are usually shown in many prestigious festivals around the world. Although Côte’s movies may be in different languages, they always tend to have a universal theme that every audience can relate to regardless of what language they speak or where they come from. The movie is about Boris a wealthy industrialist business man who suffers after his wife – Beatrice – is diagnosed with terminal illness and goes into severe depression. After being approached by a mysterious stranger telling him he is the cause of his wife’s illness and that only he can save her, Boris takes course to change his life. The movie shows Boris throughout completely different phases of his life and how he attempts to change and rebuild himself.  The director’s work is rather unique and is different from what you may usually see nowadays in cinema, Côte uses flashbacks to show Boris’s memorable days with Beatrice, and shuffles through the character’s memory to bring forward past, present, and future on the screen.  Using these different shots and techniques, the director intensionally restrains the audience from having time to think about whats going on and sends them on a journey. Although Côte’s character – Boris – is a wealthy business man, many can relate to him and what he is feeling. Boris struggles to change himself as he transforms from proud and arrogant to a humble and loving man. By reaching his goal Boris does not just get his wife Beatrice back, but also regains the ability to love and be free again. Great movie overall, not just for cinema enthusiasts, but for all moviegoers regardless of language or origin.