Je Me Souviens (Andre Forcier, 2009): Canada

Reviewed by Rowan-George Smith.  Viewed at the Metro 4, Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Je Me Souviens (“I Remember”) is a quirky, inventive, and over-the-top farce-like film directed by the accomplished Canadian filmmaker Andre Forcier.  Narrated by Louis, the son of a union leader, the film takes place in a gossipy mining community set in 1949 in Abitibi.  The film includes a collective group of Quebec actors, Roy Dupuis, Celine Bonnier and introducing Alice Morel-Michaud as Nemesis – interestingly the films original title.

On Valentine’s Day night, Mathilde’s (Celine Bonnier) husband, Richard Bombardier (David Boutin) accidentally dies and the mining community spreads rumors that Mathilde killed her husband.  The gossip is started by Anita (Helene Bourgeois-Leclerc) and Marguerite (Julie DuPage), the wives of the town’s union leaders, Robert Sincennes (Pierre-Luc Brillant) and Roch Devos (Mario Saint-Amand).  The widowed wife Mathlide plots to take out revenge on the two women, she seduces both of their husbands, then finds herself pregnant and doesn’t know whom the father is.  Mathlide becomes an alcoholic mess as she attempts to raise her beastly daughter Nemesis (Alice Morel-Michaud).  Cut to nine years later, Liam Hennessy (Roy Dupuis), an exiled Irishman, takes an interest in the mute young girl, Nemesis.  She warms up to him and becomes his pupil and learns Gaelic.  In another accident, Mathilde dies as she attempts to bond with her demonic daughter ice-skating.  And, Nemesis and her friend Louis go off to Ireland with Liam.

Celine Bonnier, Roy Dupuis, and Alice Morel-Michaud all give the finest performances in the film.  Bonnier is versatile as Mathide, playing the good wife, sexy vamp, and alcoholic mother.  Dupuis is charming, likeable, and gives a simplistic performance as Liam, the only true role model and father figure to Nemesis.  His chemistry with Morel-Michaud is enduring.  Dupuis extensively studied Gaelic for the role.  Morel-Michaud is a force to be reckoned with, she delivers the most impressive performance, and it didn’t feel contrived like other actors in the film.  This young actress was so authentic and her work organic, she had amazing screen presence, and her acting is brilliant.  Alice is a diamond in the rough.  Other honorable mentions in performances include: Renaud Pinet-Forcier as young Louis Sincennes, Nemesis’s friend.  Helene Bourgeois-Leclerc, the tap-dancing night operator who works at the telephone company, and records telephone conversations.

Veteran filmmaker, Andre Forcier, directs this odd and complicated film, with a heavy ensemble cast.  So many characters made the film difficult to follow at times.  It would have been preferred if there were a few less characters and an allowance made for more story time for the well established core characters.  Forcier had a small budget to make this film, yet managed to line up an impressive group of talented actors.  The controversial director of Quebec cinema shot the black and white film with a digital camera due to the tight budget, which the film industry in Quebec allegedly restricted him to, and what was missing, was the grainy film quality.  It’s interesting that Forcier, provided the voice of Louis in the narration.  And was that his son playing Louis? Tight budget, I’ll say.