Rating: 4/5
Criterion Challenge 2023 | 4/52 | Made in Canada Benoît is a 15-year-old boy growing up in an Asbestos Region mining town in Quebec during the 1940s. His uncle Antoine is the town undertaker, and Antoine works for him there, as well as at the general store Antoine runs with his wife Cécile. While the film predominantly follows Benoît’s point of view, it also encompasses a larger depiction of the town.
When winter comes to the small town, Benoît helps decorate the store and set up the nativity scene in the storefront window. During this time, we see Benoît sneak alcohol, flirt with his crush, and watch a woman change clothes. You know, teenage mistakes.
Then, a kid that is Benoît’s age gets sick and dies. Benoît asks to come along with Antoine to pick up the body, not aware of what he’s getting into. Along the way, he learns more about his uncle than he could want. He also experiences the grim reality of someone he knows dying and how mundane and unceremonious the gritty details are.
If the first half of the movie explores Benoît’s childhood, the second half explores those first lines we cross into adulthood. That place is where we learn how disappointing and flawed adults are. He sees firsthand how mistakes stop being something you can apologize for. He discovers accidents can have lasting consequences.
The film watches people closely, finding small moments with each. It paints a picture so specific that it has to be based on the writer or filmmaker’s personal experiences.
Also, Quebecois French is a nightmare. It starts familiar but then becomes chaotic.