homogenik

With this film, Bunuel manipulates the viewer with all of film's might while stating clearly in the film that his work is one of 'objectivity'. Obviously, it is not. For one reason, many scenes 'shot by pure chance' are obvious set-ups (when that poor goat 'accidently' falls off the cliff, you can actually see the gun smoke on the right of the screen!). For another, his concealing of one important information: the Hurdes people were the way they were for a specific reason which is just hinted at in the film. That is, goitre, a sickness caused by lack of iodine (salt). This goitre is the cause of their cretinism and had Bunuel only took the time to make his research (heck, if he checked 'cretinism' in a medical dictionary he'd have found 'goitre') he MIGHT have ended up telling the truth about these people (still, doubtfully). Instead, with his film, he judges them constantly, talking about them as 'cretins', again and again, dramatizing the action, setting-up scenes to create the spectacle, all of this very unacceptable for a documentarist which claims to work for an all-mighty objectivity. Bunuel talks all the time in this film, not letting one word to the people he is filming. He talks FOR them and, even then, JUDGES them. This piece is flawed to it's roots, to it's ideology and it's a real shame it's considered a great film.

This low-budget road-movie tackles men-women relationships with humor, drama and a lot of dialogue, which the young, mostly unknown actors deliver marvelously. Interestingly enough, this story, which mostly takes place inside cars, is very entertaining, with many different views on it's subject (through all the main characters) and a sometimes thoughtful dramatic foundation which brings every thread of the story together wonderfully at the end, shaping the fragile balance between companionship and division with a song by Sinéad O'Connor: 'This Is The Last Day of Our Acquaintance'. Funny, original and more clever than it might first appear to be.

Reviews for this film were lukewarm at best while expectations were sky high: a big budget, tons of popular faces, a rather funny idea and a main actress everyone loves. The end result is a disaster. Alice Tremblay's supposedly humorous journey in fantasy world fails in every way to entertain it's audience (I didn't hear a single laugh throughout the entire presentation), going through it's page-thin story line and one-dimensional characters without a single spark, not a sign of the magic it wished it had. The 90 minutes of film here are sterile with clumsy direction and some good actors doing their best to come of as professionals in a feature that certainly couldn't seem that great an idea on the set, let alone on paper. 'L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay' is a collage of comic sketches, linked together with a (very) thin layer of good ideas. Avoid or boredom will haunt you.

As deranging as it may be, this film is a landmark and to me represents a decisive moment in Quebec cinema, taking the feminist movement to the screen with violence and truth. Those willing to sit through the first 15 minutes, a long, harsh rape scene shot through the eyes of the victim, will discover a thoroughly disturbing and highly human piece of cinematic art.

This film came out, sadly, to little public interest but it did contribute to show that there is in fact a new trend of cinema coming out of Quebec, a trend characterized by fresher ideas and more audacious film making. 'La loi du cochon' is certainly a step forward in a different kind of cinema, a hipper one (because you need that kind too), with clear influences by films like Fargo and Reservoir Dogs. Violence, dark humour, bizarre situations, a great soundtrack, a clever script with interesting characters and, in this case, interesting visuals, the film having been shot entirely in digital. The camera also seems to often tilt and move around the characters, as if to throw us off balance or to add to the craziness of some characters. The many dead end situations the characters are put into will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride and a few good laughs are also to be expected although the fate of most characters will make you cringe more than smile. A definite must-see for fans of the genre.

In 6 minutes, with clever animation and no words spoken, Cournoyer succeeded in making a clear statement about child abuse. On one hand, she reminds us there there are long lasting and painful consequences to this kind of abuse, but most important I think is she makes us feel, through the film, part of the horror. A simple presentation that hides a lot hard work and intelligence.