Olivier Godin (There is no false profession) is one of the best kept secrets of Quebec cinema. From film to film, he cultivates a unique and recognizable style, creating unusual universes. With him, anything can happen, and that’s precisely what makes him so charming.
This sixth feature film is another fragile object that blurs the line between fantasy and reality. To enjoy it the most, you have to let yourself go and not ask yourself too many questions. The filmmaker offers a fun game with the viewer who will join in or not, depending on their sensitivity. Above all, it offers him grounds for seeing a seventh art abandon traditional narration to embrace a form of story that works more with poetry and feeling, far from established rules.
All this may seem cerebral, but it is not. On the contrary, the offbeat result constantly veers into self-deprecation. The gags keep coming, and it may take more than one viewing to catch them all. Between Stéphane Crête describing intergalactic basketball games and a repeated joke on the comedy-drama Corrina, Corrina which starred Whoopi Goldberg, there’s plenty to keep you entertained for a long time. Godin is in a class of his own when it comes to producing tasty dialogues and he puts this art of words to the benefit of an abundant scenario where words are king.
The actors play these romantic and surreal characters with undeniable complicity, sometimes remaining very literary (Emery Habwineza) or completely letting themselves go (Étienne Pilon, Ève Duranceau). The lack of budget is compensated by constant inventiveness and by a direction that is both muddled and controlled, cradled by lovely 16mm photo direction. We even get a sample of the soundtrack to Ken Loach’s Kes!
Ireland Notebook Blue did not steal its critics’ prize from Fantasia, and adventurous film buffs who are fans of Stéphane Lafleur and André Forcier will be rewarded with a magical and generous UFO.
