Our Loved Ones
| Our Loved Ones | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Les êtres chers | |
| Directed by | Anne Émond |
| Produced by |
Sylvain Corbeil Nancy Grant |
| Written by | Anne Émond |
| Starring |
Maxim Gaudette Karelle Tremblay Valérie Cadieux Mickael Gouin |
| Music by | Martin Léon |
| Cinematography | Mathieu Laverdière |
| Edited by | Mathieu Bouchard-Malo |
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Production
companies |
Metafilms
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| Distributed by | Les Films Séville |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
Our Loved Ones (French: Les êtres chers) is a 2015 Canadian drama film, directed by Anne Émond and starring Maxim Gaudette and Karelle Tremblay. The story centres on a family whose patriarch committed suicide in 1978, and explores the continuing emotional impact of his death on his now-adult son David (Gaudette) and David's daughter Laurence (Tremblay).
The film was shot around Bas-Saint-Laurent. It received positive reviews and was nominated for seven Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
In 1978, a young man named David returns to his home only to be told that his father has died of an apparent medical episode. David inherits his tools, and begins using them to make marionettes, eventually turning this hobby into a business. He raises a family, including a daughter named Laurence. Spoiling his daughter and keeping her happy, he even buys her a live turkey named Simone for Christmas, after Laurence was disappointed that the turkey she won when her mother entered her name into a grocery store raffle was frozen for dinner.
Years later, David employs his grown daughter and brother in his marionette-making business, only for his brother to abuse his trust and leave. David is also upset to learn that his father had actually committed suicide in 1978, and that this fact was concealed from him. He has, in fact, inherited his father's depression. Later, Laurence is shocked when David retreats into the forest to kill himself, leaving behind a suicide letter. Gradually, she begins to cope.
Director Anne Émond wrote the screenplay, saying she was readying herself to tell the story for 15 years and that it had parallels to hers. Her screenplay starts with a suicide set in 1978. She explained, "It’s not entirely autobiographical. There’s an enormous amount of fiction in the film. But I think if I chose to write a film that talks about suicide in this fashion, it’s tied to an experience that’s personal."
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Wikipedia