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Unlike other Canadian cities, Montreal has the pleasure of seeing itself on the big screen quite often, the agreeable consequence of having a robust local film industry. Most of these movies are produced by Quebec’s mainstream film industry and, even if many have no ambitions outside of being crowd-pleasing blockbusters (Nitro, anyone?), there are still some standouts.
Monica la mitraille, a biopic of bank robber Monica Proietti, sticks out in my mind for its depiction of working-class Montreal in the 1950s and 60s. C.R.A.Z.Y. is memorable for many reasons, not the least of which are its scenes of north end francophone life at a transformative time in Quebec’s history. 20h17 rue Darling meditates on class divisions and alienation in modern-day Montreal. I love Mambo Italiano‘s flaky but amusing treatment of Montreal’s Italian community. Premier juillet is worthwhile because it stars Lucie Laurier and puts to film one of Montreal’s odder traditions: the July 1st moving day.
There’s so much more, in both English and French, made by a diverse array of filmmakers and produced by a number of different groups. Some of the best Montreal movies, however, come from one small company headquartered in the Cooper Building on the Main: Atopia Films. More than any other production house or distributor, Atopia is committed to films that really delve into some overlooked aspects of Montreal’s character. Here are a few of my favourites.
The video clip you see above is the trailer for Sur les traces d’Igor Rizzi, a movie that premiered last year at the Festival du nouveau cinéma. It’s the first feature effort by Noël Mitrani, a Toronto-born, Paris-raised filmmaker who moved to Montreal two years ago and found himself fascinated with its wintry landscape. His film’s Montreal is bleak and snowy, an endless, alienating procession of anonymous triplexes and dreary laneways.
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Jimmywork is Simon Sauvé’s fabulous pseudo-documentary about a Mile Ender named Jimmy Weber, a Mile Ender, indebted and alcoholic, whose far-fetched scheme to produce advertising for the Sainte Tite rodeo morphs into a ludicrous crime that goes terribly wrong. This isn’t a mockumentary, but a film that blends fiction and documentary in an unsettling but strangely engaging way. Jimmy and the film’s supporting characters are real — if you live in Mile End, you might be weirded out to see them on the street.
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S.P.I.T.: Squeegee Punks in Traffic is Daniel Cross’ classic 2001 film on Roach, a squeegee kid from rural Quebec who lives on the streets of Montreal. It’s a captivating look at a subculture that is at once obvious (just head down to Berri Square) and obscure (when was the last time you ever actually met a squeegee kid?). What makes this documentary so memorable is that it is shot in large part through the eyes of Roach himself, who takes on the role of filmmaker as much as Cross himself.
S.P.I.T., of course, launched Roach’s career as a filmmaker and activist. Last year, he ran as a candidate in Outremont during the 2006 federal election and made a film about it: Punk the Vote.
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I haven’t seen Imitation because it appears to have been shown at film festivals everywhere but Montreal. Directed by Federico Hidalgo, who was responsible for 2004’s A Silent Love, Imitation follows the story of a young woman who has set out from Mexico to Montreal to find her wayward husband. As far as I know, it’s the only feature film that revolves around Montreal’s Latino community. The trailer reveals familiar scenes of the Jean Talon Market and Plaza Saint-Hubert, among other places.
5 comments
If you like the McTavish reservoir you can see video of it in “The Score”. The reservoir and connecting steam tunnels are used, as well as other interesting underground montreal locations.
Does anyone know which neighbourhood C.R.A.Z.Y. is set in?
The Montréal Latino communities are fairly recent, so more films about them can be anticipated.
Maria, I’ve wondered that myself. I believe it was set in Montreal North. I think that’s where the exteriors were filmed and it certainly fits the 60s/70s blue-collar francophone suburbia that is depicted.
Also, I believe that “Normand le roi des patates” is supposed to be located in the eastern part of Laval or somewhere near Repentigny, which would make sense.
There’s one scene that annoys me in the movie, though, because it completely destroys the geography of the movie. When Zac and his mom go out for a walk with baby Yvon to go see the mystic lady, they leave home, walking down their suburban street, and then in the next scene they’re suddenly at the corner of Laurier and Brébeuf on the Plateau, still on foot!
I’ve seen many film crews in Rosemont over the last year or so. The rather imposing entrance to the church at Masson and 6e was being used in the fall and the neighbourhood streets are in use all of the time.
I have to give ‘l’Audition’ special mention as it, along with ‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’ and ‘Les Invasions barbares’ is one of my favourite movies ever. Luc Picard (20h17 Rue Darling, La Femme qui boit) is a sensational actor, and there are some terrific Montréal scenes. ‘Familia’ is another great movie which splits it’s time between the country, downtown, and a suburban mcmansion. ‘La moité gauche du frigo’ goes from Montréal to Ottawa to Vancouver. Great mockumentary. I also recommend ‘La vie avec mon père’. It is set in a crumbling Outremont manor and has an unforgettable métro scene. It also features an interesting office building atrium which I have not been able to identify. ‘Québec-Montréal’ is a great road movie with the lovely Isabelle Blais and the line “Michel Gauvin/Mike Gavin” haha, I laughed every time!
‘Idole instantée’ has Claudine Mercier playing all four lead roles as well as a cameo by Denys Arcand. Great use of the Biosphere and various settings around the city. ‘Human Trafficking’ has Montréal standing in for various Bosnywash locations( Place Ville Marie as FBI HQ?? The AMT in Newark??) as well as Isabelle Blais! The Montréal segment of ‘The Red Violin’, ‘Hochelaga’, ‘Le secret de ma mère’, ‘Maêlstrom’, ‘Ma fille mon ange’ (meh..), ‘Guide de la petite vengeance’ (director Jean-François Pouliot ‘La grande seduction’). There is also a wonderful childrens movie ‘La mystérieuse Mlle. C’ set in a rather cool elementary school which I have walked by somewhere in St. Michel, ‘Les Aimants’ (Isabelle!)…
The film industry is alive and well in Québec although I would caution people to never watch ‘Saint-martyr-des-damné’ (not set in Montréal thankfully). Even Isabelle couldn’t save this turkey. You’ve been warned!
Does anyone know what was being filmed at l’Église Saint-Enfant Jésus/ parc Lahaie, site of Expozine, in the summer of ’06? Great location.
C.R.A.Z.Y. did get its geography mixed up a bit. The family lived in the suburbs but anytime they weren’t in their neighbourhood, they were in the north Plateau near that old power station on the other side of the train tracks at the end of Fabre. I can’t imagine someone living in the suburbs traveling all the way to the Plateau just to go to school (the smoke stacks could be seen in the background while they were at school).
I especially like American movies that are filmed in Montreal where the setting is Montreal itself. Movies such as The Score, The Whole Nine Yards, and Blades of Glory come to mind. I can’t really think of any American movies where other Canadian cities play themselves.