Canadian Film Forum

Grand_Shaman · Administrator Data inscrierii: 26/Oct/2007 Mesaje: 112

A.
Why is this a coming-of-age film?
What is the "lesson of life" that Benoit has learned at the end of the day?

B.
How do grown-ups disappoint?
How do the young react to this? Hope or Hopelesness?

B.
The seemt to be a lot of peeping and voyeurism in this film. Which scenes do you remember? Is this significant?

C.
Constraints and Choices in the asbestos mine town. Which are the people's limitations? What options do they have?

Grand_Shaman · Administrator Data inscrierii: 26/Oct/2007 Mesaje: 112

Reading about Claude Jutra, I have come across this very inspiring appraisal, that places Jutra among the masters of "Nouvelle Vague" (French "New Wave"), such as Francois Truffaut & Jean Luc Godard. The text also goes on to explain why Jutra has not enjoyed at home the full recognition he would deserve:

"Mon oncle Antoine has most often been compared to Truffaut’s The 400 Blows — both portray early-adolescent protagonists contending with the alluring and upsetting realities of the adult world. Indeed, perhaps the most useful way to place Jutra’s aesthetic is within the French New Wave, of which Truffaut and Godard were the most famous proponents. In a sense, Jutra was Canada’s representative member of the New Wave, and his treatment at home, especially with regard to the stunningly underrated Kamouraska, partly reflects Québécois reluctance in the early seventies to see the value in belonging to a movement that was not distinctly theirs. It’s ironic that while European filmmaking helped to bring American movies to a new maturity in the late sixties and early seventies (especially in the work of Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, and Martin Scorsese), in the same era in Quebec, where politics trumped art, the honour of belonging to a world community of great artists had little cachet."

Read the whole analysis [url=http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2006.11-film-claude-jutra/]HERE[/url]:
[url=http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2006.11-film-claude-jutra/]http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2006.11-film-claude-jutra/[/url]

Grand_Shaman · Administrator Data inscrierii: 26/Oct/2007 Mesaje: 112

E.
In the same article, here's another interpretation of Benoit's long gaze through the window at the very end of the film:

"By the time Benoît and Fernand return the next day, the mourning family has found the coffin, taken it home, and gathered around it. This time it’s Benoît, standing outside the window, who meets the accusing glare of the dead boy’s mother; it’s he who has committed a sin for which others judge him."

Do you think this interpretation is right? If so, does it mean that the film director had reserved fro Benoit not only nostalgia and empathy, BUT also harsh judgement?

monica-pop · Trimis: 21/11/2010 18:58 Titlul subiectului:

A. In my view, Mon Oncle Antoine is a "coming-of-age" film because it shows the lessons learned by a teenager at an important stage in his life. It is the period in which his previously childish consciousness comes in contact with the hardships of life and, even if not so obviously, certain changes occur in his mind and personality.
The lessons taught indirectly by the adults around Benoit are not positive in their essence, but these may have positive effects upon teenager's development. Learning about death, about sexuality, about people's weaknesses helps Benoit to become more realistic, more pragmatic and to understand the real nature of human beings. This is a hard, but necessary lesson.

monica-pop · Trimis: 21/11/2010 21:08 Titlul subiectului:

Indeed there were many scenes with not only teenagers, but also adults peeping; for example Fernand peeping at Cecile as she was working in her office, Fernand peeping at Cecile and Antoine while they were kissing and drinking, Benoit peeping at Alexandrine while she was trying on her new corset, etc. This fact translates curiosity, desire to know more about the forbiden things. Moreover, eyes are a symbol for knowledge, one can perceive the world in its shapes and colours through this sense of seeing, but, on the other hand, it is just a superficial knowledge. It is not enough for Benoit to see things, and, that is why, just after being involved himself in certain occurences he truly learned something.

cosmin.balog · Junior Data inscrierii: 22/Mar/2010 Mesaje: 4

“Mon Oncle Antoine” – one if not the best Canadian (Québécois) film which also entered the international tops is set in a small village by an asbestos mine which can be associated with the English presence. They don’t want it there, but they have no other choice. Besides the constant grief against the English (I think Québécois wouldn’t miss a chance either in films or literature to express it) the only other element which made the film Canadian was the language: the Canadian French. No multiculturalism.
The story was well built, the characters played well, especially Benoit and one could appreciate clever, and humorous dialogues, as well as thoughtful, speechless shots not stained by Hollywood.
As this film portrays Benoit’s “journey” to maturity this film falls into “coming-to-age” category. At the end of the day/film Benoit learnt that maturity/life is not as splendid as childhood and that grown-ups are disappointing. They indulge into sin too easily. The reaction of the young at the disappointments caused by the grown-ups are different from personality to personality (if we can speak of personality at that age). The stronger personalities might not copy the bad behaviour if s/he has a better model.
The peeping in the film better portrayed the playfulness and the curiosity of the young and as the best moments of the day are better stored in our unconscious and re-rendered in our dreams, Benoit also dreamt of the girl who caused a general jaw-dropping (whom he also peeped).

anamariaagostonsatumare · Trimis: 21/11/2010 23:37 Titlul subiectului:

A.The phrase “coming of age” is related either to a religious or sexual maturity. Sometimes people have to take part into rituals to be considered mature. Benoit’s initiation is both religious (he is taking part in the religious rites, but his involvement or inner feeling is not of a devout one, but he is assisting his uncle at funerals and will “meet” death and will identify himself with the young boy’s dead body), and senzual (he is curious about it and he is flirting during the film with Carmen or peeping through the keyhole, having sexual fantasies about women).
Benoit’s lesson of life? Maybe he learned that the reality is not the one he imagined before, pink and funny, but a grey or bleak one. He has to be more responsible for his deeds.

B.Grown-ups can be disappointing if one is too idealistic about them. If one believes that they are perfect and have no defects. The young could react mostly with hopelessness because their expectancies were not fulfilled.
“Voyeurism” creates a kind of exploration of others’ “intimate” lives. It makes us aware of something that the director wanted us to know. As if the director said:”watch this”, “that is important”.
I remember when Alexandrine came to the shop and wanted to try something new, or the final scene when Benoit’ s watching the mourning family, or the spying on the priest who is drinking wine.

C. The boss being English, they have no other choice than to work in difficult conditions in the mine. They are coward, they do not argue only give up working from time to time, as Jose did or criticise them while they are drinking or write on the walls offensive words.

anamariaagostonsatumare · Trimis: 22/11/2010 10:20 Titlul subiectului:

D. "By the time Benoît and Fernand return the next day, the mourning family has found the coffin, taken it home, and gathered around it. This time it’s Benoît, standing outside the window, who meets the accusing glare of the dead boy’s mother; it’s he who has committed a sin for which others judge him."

I don't think the family is judging him. They are overwelmed by their grief. And Benoit is just a silent witness of their unhappiness.

Diana Pop · Junior Data inscrierii: 09/Apr/2010 Mesaje: 12

Selon moi, le film qu`on a vu la semaine passee, a reussi surprendre la moduri dont l`enfant devient adolescent. Ses premieres rections lui provoque, a mon avis douleur, c`est le ocazie ou il touche la fille, mais a la fin du film on apprend que cette douleur devient pour lui indifference, car il n`a aucune reaction quand il surprend sa tante avec Fernand. Il essaie de prendre en charge les obligations d`un homme et il ''lutte'' pour recuperer le corps mort. Le clipă ou il doit toucher le mort c`est un autre moment ou on peut realiser qu`il se rend compte probablement de la signification de la mort.

adrianamichnea · Trimis: 02/12/2010 21:56 Titlul subiectului:

A. In my opinion "Mon Oncle Antonie" is a "comming-of-age" film. Benoit is an innocent child who is threw to the gate of a new world. A harsh world full of adult people who don't protect him anymore, who don't watch him anymore as being a child. In this circumstances of life he makes a first step from childhood to adulthood, from an actor who acted on a childhood scene Benoit becomes a spectator, an outsider who is watching other adult persons acting. He watches their way of being, he imitates things, he listens to their advice because one day he will be an actor too, on the adulthood scene and he has to be prepared.

Andreea MSC · Trimis: 24/01/2011 20:01 Titlul subiectului: Mon oncle Antoine

L’histoire du film c’est sur Benoit, un adolescent orphelin de 14 ans. Y sont présentés les étapes de son adolescence et les curiosités que cela implique. Ainsi Benoit passe d’un état à un autre : il est rêveur, enthousiaste d’être en contrôle quand le cercueil est perdu et Antoine est très ivre pour l’aider. Il est choqué quand il voit le garçon mort à peine plus âgée que lui et profondément désillusionné quand il se rende compte que sa tante Cécile a une aventure.
Les scènes religieuses sont négatives : le prêtre boit en cachette du vin et les morts ne sont pas traités avec respect.
Quant à les relations familiales, elles sont distantes et froides : Benoit est repoussé par l’insensibilité de son oncle vers la mère du garçon mort, Carmen est triste parce que son père perçoit son salaire, madame Poulin est durcie par la douleur, son mari est parti mais elle n’a pas le pouvoir de se plaindre.
Indépendamment des événements, les gens trouvent toujours une raison pour boire de l’alcool et de faire tout autre chose que du travailler.

Mira Bella · Trimis: 01/02/2011 20:10 Titlul subiectului:

Mon Oncle Antoine impressed me because showed another face of the people, of the world. Benoit’s destiny is too harsh. For him the pass from childhood to adolescence oblige him to face the death, the nothingness, people’s vanity and so on. The people’s influence over Benoit is not a favorable one. His first atingere with adults is a dissapointing one, they treat him as one of them, and not taking into account that it is too early for Benoit for such events. All these affects him in a negative way, making him a witness of sadness and weakness.

Anielle · Junior Data inscrierii: 26/Mar/2010 Mesaje: 7

he movie, loosely, is about a pre-adolescent who is sent to live with a relative in a small town in Canada. There are adventures that seem more or less typical but underneath there is a current building. mless pans and zooms across the snowy mountainside comfort the mind and hypnotize the viewer. This restless camera work is personified in a fringe character who is equally the drifter, quitting his job at the coal mine and leaving his family to cut lumber, then quitting again and returning to the stark humanity of his boy dead.