Testament (2023) Movie Script
We have rich cultural programs.
Painting workshops, a choir
I wanted to ask
about the food
No problem.
We already offer keto, vegan,
syncretic and systemic paleo.
We can easily do halal.
Wonderful.
You have a doctor?
Yes. Well, we had one.
But he was older.
Sadly, he died.
We're on the Department's waiting list.
Is it long?
We're 137th in line.
We have an excellent nurse
part-time.
Or we call an ambulance.
They're very fast.
Very well. We'll think about it.
You're promoting ethnic diversity.
Admirable.
Starting next year, the government decided
that residences like ours have to house
15% racial minorities.
Another wonderful initiative.
Good day, Mr. Bouchard.
Good day.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
Hello, Roger.
27 miles.
I feel incredible.
How's my champion?
How many miles?
27, headwind.
Great.
His body fat is 0.4%.
Really? Fascinating.
We're doing the Tourmalet next summer.
Fabulous.
With men half my age.
Great.
You should work out too.
I walk a little every day.
He walks.
Mr. Bouchard
It's not enough.
Cardio! Gotta keep the machine pumping.
I promise I'll consider it.
Good afternoon.
Have a good day.
Poor Mr. Bouchard he walks!
I love walking in cemeteries.
They are peaceful places
to think about all the dead
I will soon be joining.
My last breath will be discreet.
I will die with general indifference.
Never married, no children
There will be no tears at my funeral.
There won't even be a funeral.
I've made arrangements
to have my body collected quickly
and my ashes dumped in some compost bin.
I have lived an uneventful life
working at the National Archives.
I still work there twice a week,
a privilege I've been granted.
I had no major ambitions.
I wrote a few books,
now completely forgotten.
I've spent my life in a peaceful province
in a boring, insignificant country.
But it seems the most boring countries
are the happiest.
So there's that.
47th ANNUAL QUEBEC LITERARY AWARDS
We can't start.
We're missing one.
We have 5. We need 6.
Jean-Michel Bouchard.
I asked, no one knows him.
Nobody knows what he looks like.
No one's heard of Mr. Bouchard.
Excuse me.
What?
You're looking for Jean-Michel Bouchard?
That's me.
Why didn't you say so?
I
Everyone's waiting for you.
Don't just sit there, go!
I found him, sat him down.
Let's do this.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Sophie-Lune Auger-Duguay
from Tl-Qubec.
It's my pleasure and honor,
in the presence of
our Cultural Affairs Secretary,
to announce the winners
of this year's Quebec Literary Awards.
We'll start with the Lise-Payette Award
for Best Historical Essay.
It goes to Justine-Hlose Leroux-Proux
for her biography
Madeleine de Verchres,
Rebellious and Violent,
Adle Toupin Publisher.
Congrats.
Keep on fighting!
Now, the Rina-Lasnier Award
for this year's Best Poetry Collection
goes to, by a unanimous jury vote,
Chimne Bigras-Biron
for her brilliant Vaginas On Fire,
At the Stake Publisher.
This way.
Thank you for understanding my rage.
Thank you for understanding my disgust.
In the Best Novel category,
Aminata Sankara
for her masterpiece
Oppression and Vengeance,
Combat Publishers.
Finally, in the
Honoring our Elders category
the award goes to
Mr. Jean-Michel Bouchard
for his body of work including
Heat Wave & The Coronation Voyage.
Thank you very much.
It's OK, Mr. Bouchard.
But but
No speech. Sit.
I need to explain
Just go sit.
A reminder to our winners:
you are expected in the lobby
for a special recording of
the brilliant show She's Gaga for Books
with the awesome
Dakota-Myrtille Bissonnette.
This year that has just collapsed
elapsed, sorry
was particularly rich
for Quebec literature, nationally.
And worldwide.
We all remember
the outstanding success
of Pzie Ouellette-Ouareau
at the International Book Fair
in Crpons-les-Tourelles.
Not to mention the impact of our
authoresses?
That's right.
Our authoresses.
At the Cultural Symposium
in Bouvi gnes-sur-Meuse.
And our dazzling presence
at the International Francophonie
Literary Celebrations in
Ouadou
Ouaga.
Ouaga gou
Well.
I lost the speech.
What?
The screen is black, black, black.
Turn it off.
Completely off.
We'll lose it.
It'll stay in the cloud.
It's a strange feeling to suddenly realize
your life is over.
I used to be interested in politics,
economics, culture
and even sometimes in sports.
Now, if Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine,
I'm saddened, of course,
but I know there's nothing I can do.
Ukraine is too far
and, I am too old.
When the Earth becomes uninhabitable,
around 2100, probably,
I'll be long gone.
Election results, currency fluctuations,
billions made on the Internet,
exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art
it all leaves me completely indifferent.
The interests and passions
of my contemporaries
no longer interest me.
I can't relate to their music,
their fashions,
their social networks, their tattoos
What's with everyone getting tattoos?
I only aspire to rest in peace,
as the ancient liturgy said.
When I found out you won, I lost it.
I swear.
I'll see you later.
I'll wait.
I'll be right here.
I bet.
Wait a second.
Listen, Mr. Bouchard,
it might be best if you didn't stay.
Dakota-Myrtille wants to discuss
the intersexualization of identities,
slut shaming, the menstruation of thought.
You may not be comfortable with that.
It's just that I didn't write
Heat Wave & The Coronation Voyage.
It's Michel Marc Bouchard,
a very well-known playwright.
Oh yeah?
You should correct
It's a minor detail.
We are NOT the same person.
It happens.
Get some rest, Mr. Bouchard.
You had a long day.
Congratulations.
I'm sure you deserve it.
Thank you.
Hi, my friend.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
I thought you may need moral support.
Yeah.
I didn't know you wrote
The Coronation Voyage.
Neither did I.
It is what it is.
Yep.
Remember Carlos Castaneda?
Yes.
Ivan Illich.
Yes.
Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida.
Of course.
Andrei Tarkovsky.
Vaguely.
Big stars in their day.
Practically forgotten now.
Into the dustbin of history,
as we used to say.
Thus passes away the glory of this world.
It escapes, irretrievable time.
The Russians invented a new Kalashnikov,
the PPK-20.
Oh yeah?
11 rounds a second.
Often, in the horror of an endless night,
I wake up and suddenly realize
how little time I have left to live,
just how close I am to death.
When it happens, I take a tranquilizer
to calm my racing heart.
Hello, Stefanie.
Hello, Roger.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
How many miles?
8 times the Formula 1 track. Full speed.
Not bad.
Yeah.
Yes, the
What's wrong?
My God!
Mr. Fournelle had an attack.
Attacked by who?
He wasn't attacked, he had an attack.
Attack of what?
I don't know. Call an ambulance, idiot.
Calm down.
Respect the staff, or you're out.
Oh my God!
It can't be.
He never smoked in his life.
Not a drop of alcohol in 40 years.
We gave up coffee. We went vegan.
He exercised every single day.
Roger.
It can't be.
We followed Canada's Food Guide to a tee.
We even quit drinking milk.
We went broke eating organic.
It's not fair.
How could someone die in such good shape?
He slept 10 hours a night.
Sexually, he was still incredibly active.
Trust me, I know.
He was horny as a teenager.
I can count on one hand
the rare times he needed a little Viagra.
He did meditation, relaxation.
Yoga, tai-chi
positive thinking.
He did everything right.
He took royal jelly.
Curcumin. My God
Tons of curcumin.
Melatonin, echinacea
Fish oil, vitamin D3, glucosamine.
He got his blood pressure down to 90.
Every day,
we read the doctor's column in the paper.
You can't trust anyone anymore!
My baby
Hello, unpleasant old man.
Hello, cruel Serbian woman.
The personal hard drive transcript
of our friend Senator Dessureault.
Interesting?
Sex, betrayal, death. Chekhov.
Fabulous.
You can't hide anything from archivists.
They always find out in the end.
That's why you should
never believe conspiracy theories.
Conspiracies are always quickly exposed.
Human beings leave traces.
It's a fundamental need.
Letters, notes, photos
A journal.
A will, a ticket.
A contract.
Checks, receipts, credit card statements.
Recordings, videos.
And for some years now,
phones and computers.
The "delete" key deletes nothing.
Phones and computers remember everything.
Forever.
It's me. We have a problem.
What is it?
Protestors camped outside.
What do they want?
They're chanting
We have nothing to do with First Nations.
That's what they're saying.
I'm on my way.
Call the police.
Are you sure?
This is private property.
They can't occupy private property.
If you call the cops,
journalists, cameras, a circus
We're not out of the woods.
Good choice of words
when discussing First Nations.
You're annoying.
You're a civil servant.
Take the matter to your superiors.
There are protests every day now,
in every country,
for an infinite number of causes.
That's all we see on the evening news.
Makes you wonder what it all means.
I've never believed
in anything enough to protest.
My parents never protested either.
It wasn't done in their day.
Maybe because they were happier.
Or they had a higher tolerance for misery.
My mother used to say,
"Life is a valley of tears.
We're not here to be happy,
but to earn our spot in heaven."
Still, she often smiled
and played the piano beautifully.
We have to reach Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Chiefs of staff are busy.
Try again.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
Hello, Flavie.
How are you?
Very well.
What's the latest on
Senator Dessureault's files?
Vera retrieved the data
from his personal hard drive.
He's a Russian spy?
When our Senator friend was appointed,
he had a Franco-Ontarian secretary,
Marlene Faucher.
She fell madly in love with him.
He told her he couldn't get a divorce,
because the scandal would
destroy the party in power.
But he promised
upon retirement, he'd be all hers.
They'd start with a 1-year world cruise.
He had already chosen the liner,
showed her brochures, photos
and even documentaries
about the beautiful places they'd visit.
The day he retired,
without so much as a goodbye,
he ran back to his wife in Kamouraska.
That year,
Marlene developed ovarian cancer
and died quite quickly.
The senator, on his end,
lived peacefully until his death.
His wife inherited his fortune.
Did Marlene leave any documents?
Not that I know of.
Even if she had,
the Archives wouldn't want them.
Probably not.
Gone without a trace.
Like most people.
One should never fall for a married man.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
See you next week?
See you then.
Mr. Bouchard.
Madam Director.
How are you?
I'm well.
Nothing special?
I want to tell you that
the woman, I mean,
person who lives down the hall
Stefanie?
Yes, her.
That person.
She no longer wants to be
called Stefanie.
Or be gendered.
She made a request with the government,
which was accepted.
I've just been told.
Stef is the name now.
Masculine?
Neutral.
There is no neutral in French.
Words are either masculine or feminine.
You'll find solutions.
If Stef falls on an icy sidewalk,
and I call 911, would I say:
"she", "he" or "it" fell?
You would say: "A resident fell."
That'll be complicated.
It's worse for me.
I have to install
a gender-neutral bathroom
on the ground floor,
without a budget increase.
Care for a glass of wine?
Don't you think life used to be simpler?
When men were men,
women were women.
You think people were happier?
Probably not.
We're all a bit unhappy, no?
A bit, yes.
Except those who look on the bright side.
Who think the future belongs to them.
Who have a clear conscience.
Who think the worst is behind us.
Who say life is meant to be lived.
And that Jesus loves them.
All those people.
Good evening, Mr. Bouchard.
Good evening, Madam Director.
Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Hello. Suzanne Francoeur.
I have an issue:
protesters are camped outside.
How many are they?
About 15.
That's it?
You're sure?
For now.
Did they give you an ultimatum?
They said they'd stay indefinitely.
Any media there?
No media That's strange.
The cockroaches are usually
the first responders.
I haven't seen any.
At least there's that.
The Secretary is in Halong Bay
with a French Delegation, and her deputy
is at American Medical in Hawaii.
I won't bother them for 15 people
camped outside a hospice.
But if I don't warn them
and it escalates, I'll be in deep shit!
That's the last thing we need.
I'll call you back.
Mohawks, probably.
Ever had any in your classes?
I taught in French.
Mohawks usually speak English.
Our relations with them are lousy.
Yeah.
Always have been.
1609, 1610.
On the Richelieu River.
The Mohawks had bows and arrows.
The French had muskets, matchlock guns.
The French killed quite a few.
And things didn't improve.
I met a few in Ottawa, at the Parliament.
Interesting people.
At the time,
they dominated the American Northeast.
They were Lords.
I was an average player.
Not very strong or fast,
but I could throw.
I spent hours practicing my throw
on a brick wall in the back lane.
Kanien Montour
Are you from the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Are you from the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Do you belong to a clan?
Which clan do you belong to?
I belong to the Turtle Clan.
Do you speak French?
Are you Atikamekw? Abenaki?
Weird people.
Stupid old men. Who cares?
What's going on?
We're turning the library
into a video game room.
The Department of Health has decided
video games are better than books
for stimulating brain activity in seniors.
You'll get to play.
What are you doing with the books?
Throwing them out.
You could donate them.
I tried.
No one wants them.
They will be recycled,
to make wrapping paper.
Want a sip?
What is it?
It's whisky with cinnamon syrup.
I just discovered it.
It's awesome.
My condolences, Mrs. Fournelle.
Thank you, Stefani
You're a sweetie.
Sweet.
Sweet.
He left us too soon.
Us ladies, we're so
People.
Us people, we're stunned.
But, such is life.
Yes, such is life.
Good evening, ladi everyone.
Good evening, everyone.
Bonne soir. Bon
Goodnight.
Mrs. Francoeur.
Any comments?
Should we expect an official statement?
Just one word.
People want to know.
Stop the drums, they fuck up my sound.
We'll record your noise afterwards.
After the COVID-19 scandal,
where thousands died in squalid rooms,
retirement homes are back in the news.
Here at the Parizeau-Duplessis Home,
the walls are reportedly covered
with disgusting racist
drawings and paintings.
Indigenous representatives will not move
until the matter is rectified.
Once again, we're facing a deadlock.
Cassiope Bourbonnais.
Gwenaelle Baril-Baribeau.
Always there as it happens.
Here for you.
Always.
The Representative for LaPeltrie.
Madam Speaker,
we've always stood with the First Nations.
We were the first party in this Chamber
to demand the government apologizes
to the First Nations' people.
We all know that Quebec's territory
was stolen from the First Nations.
Is the government heading towards
another confrontation with the Mohawks?
Will this be another Kanesatake?
Another Mercier Bridge?
Will the government again call the army
like they did during COVID?
It's gotten that Quebec's population
needs permanent military protection
against this government's incompetence,
gosh darn it.
Order please.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Representative.
In response,
Madam Secretary of Health
and Social Services.
Madam Speaker
it is essential that the Chamber,
as well as all Quebecers,
know that my Department and I
are looking for a solution.
I personally created an intersectoral,
multidisciplinary round table
on problems facing race
and First Nations.
I've already requested a CSCQ report.
The ORSC has been alerted.
The FREMU crisis unit is ready to act.
The GRAMIQ has established communication
with the West Montreal CIUSSQ,
who have taken the steps
to act in line with LINEQ'S decision
following CRIPAL's recommendations.
I assure this Chamber that our intention,
as always, is to come to an agreement
that satisfies all concerned parties
in the respect of the rights of
women, men and others.
Thank you.
Wait, the button
The orange button here.
I don't know.
Let's call.
There's an orange button.
Wait.
This one.
We'll ask.
The big gorilla.
Wait.
I'll ask for help.
Ask for help.
Is anyone there?
I don't think it's a phone.
There's nothing.
Just a button.
Earlier, it made it rain.
It made snow.
I don't understand this.
Hello, Flavie.
What are you doing?
Me?
Nothing.
You're eavesdropping.
Of course not.
You're going out?
Yeah.
In a bathrobe?
I'm not going far.
Hello, ladies.
Hello.
You're smoking
Pacific Gold. It's awesome.
Last year, the bank manager
A very nice man.
Really, really nice.
He offered us a line of credit of
$10,000!
We didn't even discuss it,
nor did we ask for it.
With that money,
I went on a cruise with my husband in the
in the Carahi Cahib Caribbean, yes.
A dream vacation.
Franois?
Finland.
We haven't been able to reimburse it yet.
But the manager, as I mentioned,
a very nice man,
has offered to increase
the line of credit
to $20,000.
$20,000!
I wanted to accept, but
What's the interest rate?
He never mentioned that.
Right, Franois?
The roads are very straight.
Excuse me a minute.
Very straight.
Miss
Yes?
Suzanne Francoeur.
I'm the director here.
It's my responsibility to ensure
the home runs smoothly.
Yes?
The comings and goings of people.
You visit Mr. Bouchard often.
Are you a family member?
Of course,
residents are free to have visitors.
Ma'am
Now, I'm not a puritanical person,
but some behaviors
We have rules here.
Ma'am
People don't have the same freedom
they would in a downtown apartment.
A young girl, well, you
visiting an older man each week,
one might wonder
About the nature of their relationship.
What?
Go fuck yourself.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
You hurt yourself?
Not at all.
Would you like some ice?
What for?
For your hands.
My hands are fine.
Come in.
Madam director.
A young lady just left here.
How do you know that?
I just happened to see her.
Leaving here?
I've seen her in the hall before.
There are a lot of people in the halls.
She was visiting you, and I know it.
Aren't we allowed to have guests?
A young lady visiting a man of your age?
Unless she's your niece or daughter,
which isn't the case
You interrogated her.
It's my job.
Let me ask you a question.
Are you insanely controlling or jealous?
Jealous? Don't be ridiculous.
It's my responsibility
You really want to know
why she's here every week?
I don't need the details.
I want to give you the details,
every single one.
No thanks. I can guess.
You haven't guessed.
Sit down.
No, I don't need to
Sit down.
There.
Come on, please
Quiet.
Put your hand on my shoulder.
Your hand. Put it here.
Like that.
Now ask about my week.
How was your week?
Nothing special.
The routine.
I worked 2 days at the Archives.
I saw a boring Quebec film at a matinee.
I'm lonely.
You know what I do now that I'm old?
What?
I read the obituaries.
Without fail, every few weeks,
I see someone I used to know.
A few years ago,
I had coffee with a woman dying of cancer.
We had been lovers.
She had been beautiful and buxom.
And there she was pale, gaunt.
It was the first time
a woman I'd made love to was dying.
I aged a lot that day.
In his later years, my father would say
"I have no one to talk to anymore."
I've reached that point too.
Most of my friends are dead.
In college,
there were 60 of us in my class.
We were 19 at the last reunion,
and 2 of them had early Alzheimer's.
All the professors I admired are dead.
My beloved brother
has been gone almost 20 years.
I miss my dearly departed.
My grandparents, aunts and uncles,
my mother, of course.
Especially my father.
You're young.
I guess you never get lonely.
I'm lonely.
From morning to evening.
At night too.
Who do you miss?
My daughter.
You have a daughter?
She's 32.
Where is she?
I don't know.
She left 14 years ago.
We fought constantly.
She had a bad temper.
I do too sometimes.
You? I'm shocked.
When her dad was around
he kept the peace between us.
But after
He left?
A car accident,
on a winter day.
There was black ice on the highway.
After,
my daughter left.
I never heard from her again.
What's her name?
Rosalie.
Rosalie Francoeur?
Francoeur or
Lecavalier or Lecavalier-Francoeur.
I'm not sure.
What are you doing?
It's mandatory.
It's part of the deal.
Isn't that a bit sad?
Having to pay?
Most men are used to paying,
in one way or another, for affection.
Unless they're truly loved.
Which is rare, I think.
It always ends with a hug.
NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE
WHITE SILENCE KILLS
Tension is rising here at
the Parizeau-Duplessis Home.
The First Nations blockade
remains staunch,
and the panicked residents
are scared to leave their apartments.
Is this a repeat of
the horrors of COVID-19?
Here's what one resident had to say.
It's getting worse and worse.
We have to get food delivered
so we don't starve to death.
A heartbreaking account from a senior
weak from malnutrition.
As usual, management refuses to comment.
Want a donut?
What kind?
They're Tastykreme.
Extra sugar and fat. They're awesome.
I better not.
Your loss.
Vera, my child.
My child.
The bitter old man needs a favor.
Which the cruel Serb will grant him,
because deep down, she has a good heart.
What does the doddering geriatric want?
To find Rosalie Lecavalier,
or Rosalie Francoeur,
or Rosalie Lecavalier-Francoeur.
She's 32, born in Montreal,
and probably lives in Quebec.
Here's all the information.
And who is this Rosalie?
The director's daughter of
the residence where I live.
And her name?
Suzanne Francoeur. A good person.
Do I detect some romantic interest?
Not necessarily.
But possibly?
I was never one for romantic interests.
Even if, in my day,
we always had multiple sexual partners.
Seems things are very different now.
They say young people are very serious.
You yourself are a chaste
and faithful young woman?
I'll see what I can find.
Thank you.
I don't get it.
Me neither.
Have you been playing long?
Going on 5 hours.
That's long.
I have 2,800 points.
If I get 3,000,
I become a superhero.
I get a chance to save the galaxy.
We're counting on you.
Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Yes?
Hello, Mrs. Francoeur.
I have the Secretary for you.
Good luck.
The government is not happy with
the situation in your establishment.
Neither am I, madam.
You have to understand what's at stake.
Secularism is fundamental in our state.
So we're being taken to the Supreme Court
by both the Jews and the Arabs.
We've managed to unite them against us.
No small feat.
The last thing we need
is a conflict with the First Nations.
Do you follow?
Very well.
The First Nations are
an unsolvable problem.
Pardon me, madam, but I investigated
Sorry.
I enlisted very competent experts
to investigate the protestors.
Their conclusion is definitive:
We're not dealing with First Nations.
Who are we dealing with?
We don't know exactly.
The media says they're Natives.
They're wrong.
Will they correct their mistake?
Probably not.
So we're dealing with Natives.
Yes, but the reality
Madam, reality doesn't matter in politics.
Appearances do.
During the pandemic,
the government was completely lost,
had no idea what to do.
But we appeared to have
the situation under control
and be guided
by highly qualified experts,
which was obviously totally false.
The population was swayed by appearances,
and we not only maintained our
approval ratings, but increased them.
Now it appears that the government
is insulting our poor Natives
with paintings scattered
in your establishment.
I want you to solve this problem.
Find a solution.
I don't want to see Natives
or people pretending to be Natives
on the evening news.
Do you understand?
Whatever it takes, fix it!
Is that clear?
Yes, I can try to
Don't try. Do it!
Are you sure?
Positive.
'Cause that
That's really something, ma'am.
I know.
The Secretary called me, so
OK.
Here's the birth certificate
for Rosalie Lecavalier.
Daughter of Suzanne Francoeur
and Pierre Lecavalier,
who passed away 14 years ago.
She's a nurse at Nurses Without Borders.
She's worked all over the world.
Here are some of her Instagram posts.
Two years ago in Montreal,
she married Danny Simard,
a social worker at the
Mile-End community clinic.
Here's the marriage certificate.
She gave birth to a boy, 8 months ago.
The details are on her Facebook page.
Here is a copy of her driver's licence
with her address.
Aren't these private documents?
You wanted information.
That's what I'm giving you.
It's pretty incredible.
If you use this,
and it's connected to that,
you've relinquished your right to privacy,
even if you're the German Chancellor,
French President
or Spanish Prime Minister.
Top security agencies can't protect you.
That's why I don't have that.
That's why you're out of touch.
Privacy is old-fashioned.
Community is what matters now.
I will owe you a lot.
Yes, it's going to cost you a lot.
I'll pay.
The older I get,
the more out of touch I feel.
It's as if nothing concerns me anymore.
It's more about character than age.
I haven't read a paper in years.
Magazines bore me.
Radio and TV too.
I go to concerts, museums.
I read books.
I walk in the woods.
I'm always alone.
Like me.
Except you won't be alone much longer.
The director is in love with you.
Mrs. Francoeur?
Her outburst in the parking lot
was a declaration of love.
You think so?
I know people.
I was so in love with my husband.
Passionately in love.
When he died,
part of me died with him.
You're lucky you had that.
You've never been in love?
Not really.
I had a few flings.
Sometimes for a year or two.
One of my girlfriends had
an abortion because of me.
It's a painful memory.
I've never met my soulmate.
Or if I have
I didn't see it
or couldn't make it work.
You never wanted kids?
So you've always been alone.
I saw prostitutes.
That's sad.
They were honest relationships.
Even quite tender at times.
Still
When life gives you lemons
Hello.
Mr. Simard?
Hello.
I'm sorry to bother you.
My name is Jean-Michel Bouchard.
I'm trying to find Rosalie.
She's in Nunavik right now.
For how long?
Just a week.
She's helping with vaccinations.
Why are you looking for her?
I'm a friend of her mother's.
She never talks about her mother.
I know.
Can she be reached?
I'll give you her number,
but service is spotty.
This breaks my heart.
I didn't wanna say it,
but me too.
People had talent back then.
Look at those colors.
Even a bit faded
Look at the quality of the orange.
Orange is hard.
That's what I'm saying.
A radical choice.
What would you have done?
I don't know.
I'm in a tight spot.
I have a feeling this is gonna end badly.
For what it's worth,
you can count on me.
I can't hear you.
Rosalie?
Speaking.
My name is Jean-Michel Bouchard.
Who?
I lost you.
Jean-Michel Bouchard.
Rosalie Lecavalier.
What's wrong with my mother?
Is she sick?
Not at all.
She's insufferable.
I know.
But if you brought the baby
She'd criticize his weight,
the bottle's temperature, the milk,
the fabric of his clothes
Because
she tells sick people how to get better.
Legal troubles? She knows the law.
She knows everything, always.
I know her.
Not like I do.
Yeah.
There's a void in her heart.
There's a void in mine too.
Lots of emptiness.
I ran away at 18 because
I was suffocating.
I was never perfect enough.
If I was top of the class with an A+,
she'd tell me there was room to improve.
She wanted me to get an MBA,
be a banker or a broker.
She never stopped.
I wanted to help people.
I understand.
As soon as I left home, I could breathe.
I'm not going back.
You just had a child.
You carried him, fed him.
You know what it means.
She did the same for you.
Friends, lovers, even husbands
can be replaced.
But you can never replace a mother.
I'm an old man.
I've lived a long life and, believe me
sometimes, acts of kindness
out of the goodness of your heart
are what make life bearable.
For oneself
and for others.
Tell me, my friend
Where is the oeuvre?
The "oeuvre"?
Yes, the "oeuvre".
The mural
There.
Where, there?
There, where?
There.
Be serious please.
Please.
Gentlemen, I'm very serious.
The mural is there,
under 3 coats of Benjamin Moore,
off-white, satin finish.
It's not true.
It's a lie.
My God.
Jesus!
Who did this?
Who?
Painters.
They were very professional.
Hey what?
No appointment?
No, and we're going in.
Do you know who I am?
He's Raphal Saint-Aubin,
Deputy Secretary of Culture.
And my colleague Emmanuel D'Argenson,
Director of Fine Arts.
What's going on?
I tried.
What you've done is unspeakable.
Unfathomable.
There are no words.
It's beyond words.
Excuse me, gentlemen
She can't be bothered.
Excuse her.
She'll call security.
Do you know who painted the mural
you covered with 3 coats of paint?
It was a D'Aubigny, you idiot.
Be polite, please.
Mind your business.
Jean-Joseph D'Aubigny,
the greatest muralist of the 19th century.
An iconic painting classified
with Heritage Quebec.
Of course, she didn't know!
She didn't know.
She knew nothing!
The mural offended
the First Nations' sensitivity.
First Nations' sensitivity.
Who cares about
First Nations' sensitivity?
Let's erase The Amorous Indies, then
because the Incas are poorly represented.
Shylock is Jewish.
Let's cancel The Merchant of Venice.
Richard III is a hunchback.
Hire a cripple.
Juliet has to be a virgin.
Perform a gynecologic exam.
Othello is a black wife-killer.
Ban Shakespeare.
Susanna and the Elders. She's naked.
Exploitation of women's bodies.
Burn the Tintorets, Rembrandts, Rubens.
The Gentileschis.
Gentileschi was a woman. Double scandal.
Burn the Picassos.
Follow Oxford's example:
cut Schubert and teach bongos.
Burn all Western Art
You'd like that.
I followed my boss's instructions.
Those Health bureaucrats are criminals.
Everyone knows it.
They let thousands die in the pandemic.
You're following their instructions?
We should lock them in camps.
North of Chibougamau.
I was following orders.
Enough, you wretch.
Enough, please.
"Following orders."
Every war criminal's defense.
"Following orders."
Like Adolf Eichmann.
Like Ratko Mladic.
The Butcher of Bosnia.
My boss is
Your boss is illiterate.
She has the IQ of a beet.
All our politicians are ignorant.
It's a prerequisite for the job.
The only art they know
is Cirque du Soleil.
And Cline Dion.
That's all.
That's all.
All.
All.
Freedom for Arts and Culture.
Save our heritage.
Quebec is our history.
Reminds me of my youth.
Us too.
Oh yeah.
All the nationalist groups have gathered
outside the Parizeau-Duplessis Home
to fiercely protest the savage destruction
of priceless works of Quebec art,
in this case, a mural by D'Aubigny,
a student of Jean-Lon Grme in Paris.
At the time, the press dubbed D'Aubigny
the French-Canadian Michelangelo.
We've always been there:
at the opening of Place des Arts,
at Sir-George-Williams,
for a French McGill.
That's where we were first clubbed.
They had mounted police.
It was very violent. I was scared.
Me too.
We spent our first night in jail.
Then there was the Queen's visit.
Truncheon Saturday.
We were arrested there too.
Then Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
Truncheon Monday.
And then, the War Measures Act.
The RCMP kicked down our door
in the middle of the night.
I spent 11 days in jail.
14 for me.
Then
later, we lost both referendums.
The second one was stolen from us.
We've never given up.
We helped fund Pierre Falardeau's films.
So long as we can walk,
we'll march for Quebec Culture.
For sure.
A very different reaction
than what we saw outside
the School of Digital and Conceptual Art
and Media Identities at UQAM.
What's his name? Demontigny?
D'Aubigny, Jean-Joseph D'Aubigny.
Museums are full of dead white males.
Time to clean up the museums.
Yeah.
The Representative for LaPeltrie.
Madam Speaker,
we've always stood with artists here.
The mural's erasure is no different
than the Taliban's destruction
of the giant Buddha statues,
or the Islamic State pillaging
the ruins of Palmyra, gosh darn it!
Yeah!
After 260 years of survival,
Quebec culture is dying.
Where British imperialism failed
mass immigration,
Facebook, Google
and all the others
have succeeded.
Of course, in 200 years,
there will probably be a few Quebecers
speaking some kind of patois
in the depths of Abitibi.
But their gibberish will be
as unintelligible
as the Cajuns in their bayous
singing Jole Blon.
You know what's coming, right?
I can imagine.
I know you did your best.
Sorry. I'm putting her through.
Mrs. Francoeur, in your opinion,
what's the most important quality
in a civil servant?
I don't know.
The most important quality, madam,
first and foremost, is discretion.
Take our finance deputies.
Two remarkable women.
Their names are never mentioned anywhere.
In my opinion, they're
the ideal civil servants.
While you and your establishment
are on TV every night.
It's not my fault, madam.
On the contrary it's entirely your fault.
I didn't do anything.
Didn't do anything?
You vandalized a work of art.
We have UNESCO on our backs.
But you asked me to
I asked you to solve a problem.
Not create an international scandal.
That said, I'm also to blame.
I can't expect you to know art history.
How was I supposed to know
I understand that you panicked.
You were obviously overwhelmed.
I wasn't overwhelmed. You said
I understand your reaction.
You weren't equipped to handle
this kind of conflict.
I have your file here.
I see your academic qualifications are
minimal, so to speak.
My family was poor.
I had to start working young.
You barely finished high school.
I started as a hospital attendant.
So, you mopped floors.
A lot of other things too.
I worked very hard.
I went to night school for years.
I took jobs no one wanted, madam.
I did that often.
I don't doubt your commitment.
That's not it.
It's just that some theoretical knowledge
can only be acquired through
higher education.
If you say so.
It is what it is.
The little lady will have to understand.
Madam Speaker
Everyone knows how much I appreciate art,
Quebec art in particular.
All the guests in my home
can admire the magnificent Corno
gracing my living room wall.
In the summer,
I make it a point to attend
all the local summer theaters.
Even in the winter,
when my schedule allows it,
I'm often seen in concert halls,
listening to our wonderful Quebec
male and female singers,
as well as our incredible
female, male or other comedians.
What happened at this retirement home
was a regrettable mistake.
I assure you, Madam Speaker,
we've solved the problem
and those responsible
were disciplined severely.
I've been transferred to Quebec City.
To the Sectorial Organizational
Charts Planification Department.
I don't want to.
I can't be exiled to Quebec City.
Quit.
To do what? Go where?
I was just reminded,
I have no qualifications.
If you go, they'll destroy you.
I know.
Suzanne
come live with me.
I've been wanting to
ask you for some time.
I've never found the right moment
or the right words.
You're the first woman I've ever asked.
I hardly know you.
It's a safe bet.
I'm too old to be dangerous.
And we both know what's waiting for me:
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia,
colorectal cancer,
Lewy body dementia
A bright future.
But you'd have the opportunity
to control me completely.
And
I feel like together,
it'll be easier to cope with
the stupidity of the world.
Sorry. There's a woman with a baby here.
Not now.
Let her in.
What's gotten into you?
This is my son.
How old is he?
8 months.
Can I hold him?
Of course.
Go on, sweetie.
What a handsome boy.
It's incredible.
This is the first time I hold a baby.
Here.
What's his name?
Mathieu.
Hi, Mathieu.
Can we take him for the afternoon?
I
Yes, I brought his stroller and food.
Perfect.
I'll come help you with that.
I'll pick him up at 6:30.
Perfect.
Life is unpredictable, right to the end.
A few months ago,
I was quite ready to die.
Living didn't hold much interest
for me anymore.
And now, this afternoon,
I want to live as long as possible.
I'm giddy as a teenager.
But now, thanks to this child,
I have to start worrying about
climate change.
It goes to show nothing's perfect.
Painting workshops, a choir
I wanted to ask
about the food
No problem.
We already offer keto, vegan,
syncretic and systemic paleo.
We can easily do halal.
Wonderful.
You have a doctor?
Yes. Well, we had one.
But he was older.
Sadly, he died.
We're on the Department's waiting list.
Is it long?
We're 137th in line.
We have an excellent nurse
part-time.
Or we call an ambulance.
They're very fast.
Very well. We'll think about it.
You're promoting ethnic diversity.
Admirable.
Starting next year, the government decided
that residences like ours have to house
15% racial minorities.
Another wonderful initiative.
Good day, Mr. Bouchard.
Good day.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
Hello, Roger.
27 miles.
I feel incredible.
How's my champion?
How many miles?
27, headwind.
Great.
His body fat is 0.4%.
Really? Fascinating.
We're doing the Tourmalet next summer.
Fabulous.
With men half my age.
Great.
You should work out too.
I walk a little every day.
He walks.
Mr. Bouchard
It's not enough.
Cardio! Gotta keep the machine pumping.
I promise I'll consider it.
Good afternoon.
Have a good day.
Poor Mr. Bouchard he walks!
I love walking in cemeteries.
They are peaceful places
to think about all the dead
I will soon be joining.
My last breath will be discreet.
I will die with general indifference.
Never married, no children
There will be no tears at my funeral.
There won't even be a funeral.
I've made arrangements
to have my body collected quickly
and my ashes dumped in some compost bin.
I have lived an uneventful life
working at the National Archives.
I still work there twice a week,
a privilege I've been granted.
I had no major ambitions.
I wrote a few books,
now completely forgotten.
I've spent my life in a peaceful province
in a boring, insignificant country.
But it seems the most boring countries
are the happiest.
So there's that.
47th ANNUAL QUEBEC LITERARY AWARDS
We can't start.
We're missing one.
We have 5. We need 6.
Jean-Michel Bouchard.
I asked, no one knows him.
Nobody knows what he looks like.
No one's heard of Mr. Bouchard.
Excuse me.
What?
You're looking for Jean-Michel Bouchard?
That's me.
Why didn't you say so?
I
Everyone's waiting for you.
Don't just sit there, go!
I found him, sat him down.
Let's do this.
Hello, everyone.
I'm Sophie-Lune Auger-Duguay
from Tl-Qubec.
It's my pleasure and honor,
in the presence of
our Cultural Affairs Secretary,
to announce the winners
of this year's Quebec Literary Awards.
We'll start with the Lise-Payette Award
for Best Historical Essay.
It goes to Justine-Hlose Leroux-Proux
for her biography
Madeleine de Verchres,
Rebellious and Violent,
Adle Toupin Publisher.
Congrats.
Keep on fighting!
Now, the Rina-Lasnier Award
for this year's Best Poetry Collection
goes to, by a unanimous jury vote,
Chimne Bigras-Biron
for her brilliant Vaginas On Fire,
At the Stake Publisher.
This way.
Thank you for understanding my rage.
Thank you for understanding my disgust.
In the Best Novel category,
Aminata Sankara
for her masterpiece
Oppression and Vengeance,
Combat Publishers.
Finally, in the
Honoring our Elders category
the award goes to
Mr. Jean-Michel Bouchard
for his body of work including
Heat Wave & The Coronation Voyage.
Thank you very much.
It's OK, Mr. Bouchard.
But but
No speech. Sit.
I need to explain
Just go sit.
A reminder to our winners:
you are expected in the lobby
for a special recording of
the brilliant show She's Gaga for Books
with the awesome
Dakota-Myrtille Bissonnette.
This year that has just collapsed
elapsed, sorry
was particularly rich
for Quebec literature, nationally.
And worldwide.
We all remember
the outstanding success
of Pzie Ouellette-Ouareau
at the International Book Fair
in Crpons-les-Tourelles.
Not to mention the impact of our
authoresses?
That's right.
Our authoresses.
At the Cultural Symposium
in Bouvi gnes-sur-Meuse.
And our dazzling presence
at the International Francophonie
Literary Celebrations in
Ouadou
Ouaga.
Ouaga gou
Well.
I lost the speech.
What?
The screen is black, black, black.
Turn it off.
Completely off.
We'll lose it.
It'll stay in the cloud.
It's a strange feeling to suddenly realize
your life is over.
I used to be interested in politics,
economics, culture
and even sometimes in sports.
Now, if Vladimir Putin invades Ukraine,
I'm saddened, of course,
but I know there's nothing I can do.
Ukraine is too far
and, I am too old.
When the Earth becomes uninhabitable,
around 2100, probably,
I'll be long gone.
Election results, currency fluctuations,
billions made on the Internet,
exhibits at the Museum of Modern Art
it all leaves me completely indifferent.
The interests and passions
of my contemporaries
no longer interest me.
I can't relate to their music,
their fashions,
their social networks, their tattoos
What's with everyone getting tattoos?
I only aspire to rest in peace,
as the ancient liturgy said.
When I found out you won, I lost it.
I swear.
I'll see you later.
I'll wait.
I'll be right here.
I bet.
Wait a second.
Listen, Mr. Bouchard,
it might be best if you didn't stay.
Dakota-Myrtille wants to discuss
the intersexualization of identities,
slut shaming, the menstruation of thought.
You may not be comfortable with that.
It's just that I didn't write
Heat Wave & The Coronation Voyage.
It's Michel Marc Bouchard,
a very well-known playwright.
Oh yeah?
You should correct
It's a minor detail.
We are NOT the same person.
It happens.
Get some rest, Mr. Bouchard.
You had a long day.
Congratulations.
I'm sure you deserve it.
Thank you.
Hi, my friend.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
I thought you may need moral support.
Yeah.
I didn't know you wrote
The Coronation Voyage.
Neither did I.
It is what it is.
Yep.
Remember Carlos Castaneda?
Yes.
Ivan Illich.
Yes.
Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida.
Of course.
Andrei Tarkovsky.
Vaguely.
Big stars in their day.
Practically forgotten now.
Into the dustbin of history,
as we used to say.
Thus passes away the glory of this world.
It escapes, irretrievable time.
The Russians invented a new Kalashnikov,
the PPK-20.
Oh yeah?
11 rounds a second.
Often, in the horror of an endless night,
I wake up and suddenly realize
how little time I have left to live,
just how close I am to death.
When it happens, I take a tranquilizer
to calm my racing heart.
Hello, Stefanie.
Hello, Roger.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
How many miles?
8 times the Formula 1 track. Full speed.
Not bad.
Yeah.
Yes, the
What's wrong?
My God!
Mr. Fournelle had an attack.
Attacked by who?
He wasn't attacked, he had an attack.
Attack of what?
I don't know. Call an ambulance, idiot.
Calm down.
Respect the staff, or you're out.
Oh my God!
It can't be.
He never smoked in his life.
Not a drop of alcohol in 40 years.
We gave up coffee. We went vegan.
He exercised every single day.
Roger.
It can't be.
We followed Canada's Food Guide to a tee.
We even quit drinking milk.
We went broke eating organic.
It's not fair.
How could someone die in such good shape?
He slept 10 hours a night.
Sexually, he was still incredibly active.
Trust me, I know.
He was horny as a teenager.
I can count on one hand
the rare times he needed a little Viagra.
He did meditation, relaxation.
Yoga, tai-chi
positive thinking.
He did everything right.
He took royal jelly.
Curcumin. My God
Tons of curcumin.
Melatonin, echinacea
Fish oil, vitamin D3, glucosamine.
He got his blood pressure down to 90.
Every day,
we read the doctor's column in the paper.
You can't trust anyone anymore!
My baby
Hello, unpleasant old man.
Hello, cruel Serbian woman.
The personal hard drive transcript
of our friend Senator Dessureault.
Interesting?
Sex, betrayal, death. Chekhov.
Fabulous.
You can't hide anything from archivists.
They always find out in the end.
That's why you should
never believe conspiracy theories.
Conspiracies are always quickly exposed.
Human beings leave traces.
It's a fundamental need.
Letters, notes, photos
A journal.
A will, a ticket.
A contract.
Checks, receipts, credit card statements.
Recordings, videos.
And for some years now,
phones and computers.
The "delete" key deletes nothing.
Phones and computers remember everything.
Forever.
It's me. We have a problem.
What is it?
Protestors camped outside.
What do they want?
They're chanting
We have nothing to do with First Nations.
That's what they're saying.
I'm on my way.
Call the police.
Are you sure?
This is private property.
They can't occupy private property.
If you call the cops,
journalists, cameras, a circus
We're not out of the woods.
Good choice of words
when discussing First Nations.
You're annoying.
You're a civil servant.
Take the matter to your superiors.
There are protests every day now,
in every country,
for an infinite number of causes.
That's all we see on the evening news.
Makes you wonder what it all means.
I've never believed
in anything enough to protest.
My parents never protested either.
It wasn't done in their day.
Maybe because they were happier.
Or they had a higher tolerance for misery.
My mother used to say,
"Life is a valley of tears.
We're not here to be happy,
but to earn our spot in heaven."
Still, she often smiled
and played the piano beautifully.
We have to reach Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Chiefs of staff are busy.
Try again.
Hello, Jean-Michel.
Hello, Flavie.
How are you?
Very well.
What's the latest on
Senator Dessureault's files?
Vera retrieved the data
from his personal hard drive.
He's a Russian spy?
When our Senator friend was appointed,
he had a Franco-Ontarian secretary,
Marlene Faucher.
She fell madly in love with him.
He told her he couldn't get a divorce,
because the scandal would
destroy the party in power.
But he promised
upon retirement, he'd be all hers.
They'd start with a 1-year world cruise.
He had already chosen the liner,
showed her brochures, photos
and even documentaries
about the beautiful places they'd visit.
The day he retired,
without so much as a goodbye,
he ran back to his wife in Kamouraska.
That year,
Marlene developed ovarian cancer
and died quite quickly.
The senator, on his end,
lived peacefully until his death.
His wife inherited his fortune.
Did Marlene leave any documents?
Not that I know of.
Even if she had,
the Archives wouldn't want them.
Probably not.
Gone without a trace.
Like most people.
One should never fall for a married man.
Thank you very much.
Thank you.
See you next week?
See you then.
Mr. Bouchard.
Madam Director.
How are you?
I'm well.
Nothing special?
I want to tell you that
the woman, I mean,
person who lives down the hall
Stefanie?
Yes, her.
That person.
She no longer wants to be
called Stefanie.
Or be gendered.
She made a request with the government,
which was accepted.
I've just been told.
Stef is the name now.
Masculine?
Neutral.
There is no neutral in French.
Words are either masculine or feminine.
You'll find solutions.
If Stef falls on an icy sidewalk,
and I call 911, would I say:
"she", "he" or "it" fell?
You would say: "A resident fell."
That'll be complicated.
It's worse for me.
I have to install
a gender-neutral bathroom
on the ground floor,
without a budget increase.
Care for a glass of wine?
Don't you think life used to be simpler?
When men were men,
women were women.
You think people were happier?
Probably not.
We're all a bit unhappy, no?
A bit, yes.
Except those who look on the bright side.
Who think the future belongs to them.
Who have a clear conscience.
Who think the worst is behind us.
Who say life is meant to be lived.
And that Jesus loves them.
All those people.
Good evening, Mr. Bouchard.
Good evening, Madam Director.
Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Hello. Suzanne Francoeur.
I have an issue:
protesters are camped outside.
How many are they?
About 15.
That's it?
You're sure?
For now.
Did they give you an ultimatum?
They said they'd stay indefinitely.
Any media there?
No media That's strange.
The cockroaches are usually
the first responders.
I haven't seen any.
At least there's that.
The Secretary is in Halong Bay
with a French Delegation, and her deputy
is at American Medical in Hawaii.
I won't bother them for 15 people
camped outside a hospice.
But if I don't warn them
and it escalates, I'll be in deep shit!
That's the last thing we need.
I'll call you back.
Mohawks, probably.
Ever had any in your classes?
I taught in French.
Mohawks usually speak English.
Our relations with them are lousy.
Yeah.
Always have been.
1609, 1610.
On the Richelieu River.
The Mohawks had bows and arrows.
The French had muskets, matchlock guns.
The French killed quite a few.
And things didn't improve.
I met a few in Ottawa, at the Parliament.
Interesting people.
At the time,
they dominated the American Northeast.
They were Lords.
I was an average player.
Not very strong or fast,
but I could throw.
I spent hours practicing my throw
on a brick wall in the back lane.
Kanien Montour
Are you from the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Are you from the
Haudenosaunee Confederacy?
Do you belong to a clan?
Which clan do you belong to?
I belong to the Turtle Clan.
Do you speak French?
Are you Atikamekw? Abenaki?
Weird people.
Stupid old men. Who cares?
What's going on?
We're turning the library
into a video game room.
The Department of Health has decided
video games are better than books
for stimulating brain activity in seniors.
You'll get to play.
What are you doing with the books?
Throwing them out.
You could donate them.
I tried.
No one wants them.
They will be recycled,
to make wrapping paper.
Want a sip?
What is it?
It's whisky with cinnamon syrup.
I just discovered it.
It's awesome.
My condolences, Mrs. Fournelle.
Thank you, Stefani
You're a sweetie.
Sweet.
Sweet.
He left us too soon.
Us ladies, we're so
People.
Us people, we're stunned.
But, such is life.
Yes, such is life.
Good evening, ladi everyone.
Good evening, everyone.
Bonne soir. Bon
Goodnight.
Mrs. Francoeur.
Any comments?
Should we expect an official statement?
Just one word.
People want to know.
Stop the drums, they fuck up my sound.
We'll record your noise afterwards.
After the COVID-19 scandal,
where thousands died in squalid rooms,
retirement homes are back in the news.
Here at the Parizeau-Duplessis Home,
the walls are reportedly covered
with disgusting racist
drawings and paintings.
Indigenous representatives will not move
until the matter is rectified.
Once again, we're facing a deadlock.
Cassiope Bourbonnais.
Gwenaelle Baril-Baribeau.
Always there as it happens.
Here for you.
Always.
The Representative for LaPeltrie.
Madam Speaker,
we've always stood with the First Nations.
We were the first party in this Chamber
to demand the government apologizes
to the First Nations' people.
We all know that Quebec's territory
was stolen from the First Nations.
Is the government heading towards
another confrontation with the Mohawks?
Will this be another Kanesatake?
Another Mercier Bridge?
Will the government again call the army
like they did during COVID?
It's gotten that Quebec's population
needs permanent military protection
against this government's incompetence,
gosh darn it.
Order please.
Thank you.
Thank you, Madam Representative.
In response,
Madam Secretary of Health
and Social Services.
Madam Speaker
it is essential that the Chamber,
as well as all Quebecers,
know that my Department and I
are looking for a solution.
I personally created an intersectoral,
multidisciplinary round table
on problems facing race
and First Nations.
I've already requested a CSCQ report.
The ORSC has been alerted.
The FREMU crisis unit is ready to act.
The GRAMIQ has established communication
with the West Montreal CIUSSQ,
who have taken the steps
to act in line with LINEQ'S decision
following CRIPAL's recommendations.
I assure this Chamber that our intention,
as always, is to come to an agreement
that satisfies all concerned parties
in the respect of the rights of
women, men and others.
Thank you.
Wait, the button
The orange button here.
I don't know.
Let's call.
There's an orange button.
Wait.
This one.
We'll ask.
The big gorilla.
Wait.
I'll ask for help.
Ask for help.
Is anyone there?
I don't think it's a phone.
There's nothing.
Just a button.
Earlier, it made it rain.
It made snow.
I don't understand this.
Hello, Flavie.
What are you doing?
Me?
Nothing.
You're eavesdropping.
Of course not.
You're going out?
Yeah.
In a bathrobe?
I'm not going far.
Hello, ladies.
Hello.
You're smoking
Pacific Gold. It's awesome.
Last year, the bank manager
A very nice man.
Really, really nice.
He offered us a line of credit of
$10,000!
We didn't even discuss it,
nor did we ask for it.
With that money,
I went on a cruise with my husband in the
in the Carahi Cahib Caribbean, yes.
A dream vacation.
Franois?
Finland.
We haven't been able to reimburse it yet.
But the manager, as I mentioned,
a very nice man,
has offered to increase
the line of credit
to $20,000.
$20,000!
I wanted to accept, but
What's the interest rate?
He never mentioned that.
Right, Franois?
The roads are very straight.
Excuse me a minute.
Very straight.
Miss
Yes?
Suzanne Francoeur.
I'm the director here.
It's my responsibility to ensure
the home runs smoothly.
Yes?
The comings and goings of people.
You visit Mr. Bouchard often.
Are you a family member?
Of course,
residents are free to have visitors.
Ma'am
Now, I'm not a puritanical person,
but some behaviors
We have rules here.
Ma'am
People don't have the same freedom
they would in a downtown apartment.
A young girl, well, you
visiting an older man each week,
one might wonder
About the nature of their relationship.
What?
Go fuck yourself.
Are you all right?
I'm fine.
You hurt yourself?
Not at all.
Would you like some ice?
What for?
For your hands.
My hands are fine.
Come in.
Madam director.
A young lady just left here.
How do you know that?
I just happened to see her.
Leaving here?
I've seen her in the hall before.
There are a lot of people in the halls.
She was visiting you, and I know it.
Aren't we allowed to have guests?
A young lady visiting a man of your age?
Unless she's your niece or daughter,
which isn't the case
You interrogated her.
It's my job.
Let me ask you a question.
Are you insanely controlling or jealous?
Jealous? Don't be ridiculous.
It's my responsibility
You really want to know
why she's here every week?
I don't need the details.
I want to give you the details,
every single one.
No thanks. I can guess.
You haven't guessed.
Sit down.
No, I don't need to
Sit down.
There.
Come on, please
Quiet.
Put your hand on my shoulder.
Your hand. Put it here.
Like that.
Now ask about my week.
How was your week?
Nothing special.
The routine.
I worked 2 days at the Archives.
I saw a boring Quebec film at a matinee.
I'm lonely.
You know what I do now that I'm old?
What?
I read the obituaries.
Without fail, every few weeks,
I see someone I used to know.
A few years ago,
I had coffee with a woman dying of cancer.
We had been lovers.
She had been beautiful and buxom.
And there she was pale, gaunt.
It was the first time
a woman I'd made love to was dying.
I aged a lot that day.
In his later years, my father would say
"I have no one to talk to anymore."
I've reached that point too.
Most of my friends are dead.
In college,
there were 60 of us in my class.
We were 19 at the last reunion,
and 2 of them had early Alzheimer's.
All the professors I admired are dead.
My beloved brother
has been gone almost 20 years.
I miss my dearly departed.
My grandparents, aunts and uncles,
my mother, of course.
Especially my father.
You're young.
I guess you never get lonely.
I'm lonely.
From morning to evening.
At night too.
Who do you miss?
My daughter.
You have a daughter?
She's 32.
Where is she?
I don't know.
She left 14 years ago.
We fought constantly.
She had a bad temper.
I do too sometimes.
You? I'm shocked.
When her dad was around
he kept the peace between us.
But after
He left?
A car accident,
on a winter day.
There was black ice on the highway.
After,
my daughter left.
I never heard from her again.
What's her name?
Rosalie.
Rosalie Francoeur?
Francoeur or
Lecavalier or Lecavalier-Francoeur.
I'm not sure.
What are you doing?
It's mandatory.
It's part of the deal.
Isn't that a bit sad?
Having to pay?
Most men are used to paying,
in one way or another, for affection.
Unless they're truly loved.
Which is rare, I think.
It always ends with a hug.
NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE
WHITE SILENCE KILLS
Tension is rising here at
the Parizeau-Duplessis Home.
The First Nations blockade
remains staunch,
and the panicked residents
are scared to leave their apartments.
Is this a repeat of
the horrors of COVID-19?
Here's what one resident had to say.
It's getting worse and worse.
We have to get food delivered
so we don't starve to death.
A heartbreaking account from a senior
weak from malnutrition.
As usual, management refuses to comment.
Want a donut?
What kind?
They're Tastykreme.
Extra sugar and fat. They're awesome.
I better not.
Your loss.
Vera, my child.
My child.
The bitter old man needs a favor.
Which the cruel Serb will grant him,
because deep down, she has a good heart.
What does the doddering geriatric want?
To find Rosalie Lecavalier,
or Rosalie Francoeur,
or Rosalie Lecavalier-Francoeur.
She's 32, born in Montreal,
and probably lives in Quebec.
Here's all the information.
And who is this Rosalie?
The director's daughter of
the residence where I live.
And her name?
Suzanne Francoeur. A good person.
Do I detect some romantic interest?
Not necessarily.
But possibly?
I was never one for romantic interests.
Even if, in my day,
we always had multiple sexual partners.
Seems things are very different now.
They say young people are very serious.
You yourself are a chaste
and faithful young woman?
I'll see what I can find.
Thank you.
I don't get it.
Me neither.
Have you been playing long?
Going on 5 hours.
That's long.
I have 2,800 points.
If I get 3,000,
I become a superhero.
I get a chance to save the galaxy.
We're counting on you.
Lucas Labelle-Hamel.
Yes?
Hello, Mrs. Francoeur.
I have the Secretary for you.
Good luck.
The government is not happy with
the situation in your establishment.
Neither am I, madam.
You have to understand what's at stake.
Secularism is fundamental in our state.
So we're being taken to the Supreme Court
by both the Jews and the Arabs.
We've managed to unite them against us.
No small feat.
The last thing we need
is a conflict with the First Nations.
Do you follow?
Very well.
The First Nations are
an unsolvable problem.
Pardon me, madam, but I investigated
Sorry.
I enlisted very competent experts
to investigate the protestors.
Their conclusion is definitive:
We're not dealing with First Nations.
Who are we dealing with?
We don't know exactly.
The media says they're Natives.
They're wrong.
Will they correct their mistake?
Probably not.
So we're dealing with Natives.
Yes, but the reality
Madam, reality doesn't matter in politics.
Appearances do.
During the pandemic,
the government was completely lost,
had no idea what to do.
But we appeared to have
the situation under control
and be guided
by highly qualified experts,
which was obviously totally false.
The population was swayed by appearances,
and we not only maintained our
approval ratings, but increased them.
Now it appears that the government
is insulting our poor Natives
with paintings scattered
in your establishment.
I want you to solve this problem.
Find a solution.
I don't want to see Natives
or people pretending to be Natives
on the evening news.
Do you understand?
Whatever it takes, fix it!
Is that clear?
Yes, I can try to
Don't try. Do it!
Are you sure?
Positive.
'Cause that
That's really something, ma'am.
I know.
The Secretary called me, so
OK.
Here's the birth certificate
for Rosalie Lecavalier.
Daughter of Suzanne Francoeur
and Pierre Lecavalier,
who passed away 14 years ago.
She's a nurse at Nurses Without Borders.
She's worked all over the world.
Here are some of her Instagram posts.
Two years ago in Montreal,
she married Danny Simard,
a social worker at the
Mile-End community clinic.
Here's the marriage certificate.
She gave birth to a boy, 8 months ago.
The details are on her Facebook page.
Here is a copy of her driver's licence
with her address.
Aren't these private documents?
You wanted information.
That's what I'm giving you.
It's pretty incredible.
If you use this,
and it's connected to that,
you've relinquished your right to privacy,
even if you're the German Chancellor,
French President
or Spanish Prime Minister.
Top security agencies can't protect you.
That's why I don't have that.
That's why you're out of touch.
Privacy is old-fashioned.
Community is what matters now.
I will owe you a lot.
Yes, it's going to cost you a lot.
I'll pay.
The older I get,
the more out of touch I feel.
It's as if nothing concerns me anymore.
It's more about character than age.
I haven't read a paper in years.
Magazines bore me.
Radio and TV too.
I go to concerts, museums.
I read books.
I walk in the woods.
I'm always alone.
Like me.
Except you won't be alone much longer.
The director is in love with you.
Mrs. Francoeur?
Her outburst in the parking lot
was a declaration of love.
You think so?
I know people.
I was so in love with my husband.
Passionately in love.
When he died,
part of me died with him.
You're lucky you had that.
You've never been in love?
Not really.
I had a few flings.
Sometimes for a year or two.
One of my girlfriends had
an abortion because of me.
It's a painful memory.
I've never met my soulmate.
Or if I have
I didn't see it
or couldn't make it work.
You never wanted kids?
So you've always been alone.
I saw prostitutes.
That's sad.
They were honest relationships.
Even quite tender at times.
Still
When life gives you lemons
Hello.
Mr. Simard?
Hello.
I'm sorry to bother you.
My name is Jean-Michel Bouchard.
I'm trying to find Rosalie.
She's in Nunavik right now.
For how long?
Just a week.
She's helping with vaccinations.
Why are you looking for her?
I'm a friend of her mother's.
She never talks about her mother.
I know.
Can she be reached?
I'll give you her number,
but service is spotty.
This breaks my heart.
I didn't wanna say it,
but me too.
People had talent back then.
Look at those colors.
Even a bit faded
Look at the quality of the orange.
Orange is hard.
That's what I'm saying.
A radical choice.
What would you have done?
I don't know.
I'm in a tight spot.
I have a feeling this is gonna end badly.
For what it's worth,
you can count on me.
I can't hear you.
Rosalie?
Speaking.
My name is Jean-Michel Bouchard.
Who?
I lost you.
Jean-Michel Bouchard.
Rosalie Lecavalier.
What's wrong with my mother?
Is she sick?
Not at all.
She's insufferable.
I know.
But if you brought the baby
She'd criticize his weight,
the bottle's temperature, the milk,
the fabric of his clothes
Because
she tells sick people how to get better.
Legal troubles? She knows the law.
She knows everything, always.
I know her.
Not like I do.
Yeah.
There's a void in her heart.
There's a void in mine too.
Lots of emptiness.
I ran away at 18 because
I was suffocating.
I was never perfect enough.
If I was top of the class with an A+,
she'd tell me there was room to improve.
She wanted me to get an MBA,
be a banker or a broker.
She never stopped.
I wanted to help people.
I understand.
As soon as I left home, I could breathe.
I'm not going back.
You just had a child.
You carried him, fed him.
You know what it means.
She did the same for you.
Friends, lovers, even husbands
can be replaced.
But you can never replace a mother.
I'm an old man.
I've lived a long life and, believe me
sometimes, acts of kindness
out of the goodness of your heart
are what make life bearable.
For oneself
and for others.
Tell me, my friend
Where is the oeuvre?
The "oeuvre"?
Yes, the "oeuvre".
The mural
There.
Where, there?
There, where?
There.
Be serious please.
Please.
Gentlemen, I'm very serious.
The mural is there,
under 3 coats of Benjamin Moore,
off-white, satin finish.
It's not true.
It's a lie.
My God.
Jesus!
Who did this?
Who?
Painters.
They were very professional.
Hey what?
No appointment?
No, and we're going in.
Do you know who I am?
He's Raphal Saint-Aubin,
Deputy Secretary of Culture.
And my colleague Emmanuel D'Argenson,
Director of Fine Arts.
What's going on?
I tried.
What you've done is unspeakable.
Unfathomable.
There are no words.
It's beyond words.
Excuse me, gentlemen
She can't be bothered.
Excuse her.
She'll call security.
Do you know who painted the mural
you covered with 3 coats of paint?
It was a D'Aubigny, you idiot.
Be polite, please.
Mind your business.
Jean-Joseph D'Aubigny,
the greatest muralist of the 19th century.
An iconic painting classified
with Heritage Quebec.
Of course, she didn't know!
She didn't know.
She knew nothing!
The mural offended
the First Nations' sensitivity.
First Nations' sensitivity.
Who cares about
First Nations' sensitivity?
Let's erase The Amorous Indies, then
because the Incas are poorly represented.
Shylock is Jewish.
Let's cancel The Merchant of Venice.
Richard III is a hunchback.
Hire a cripple.
Juliet has to be a virgin.
Perform a gynecologic exam.
Othello is a black wife-killer.
Ban Shakespeare.
Susanna and the Elders. She's naked.
Exploitation of women's bodies.
Burn the Tintorets, Rembrandts, Rubens.
The Gentileschis.
Gentileschi was a woman. Double scandal.
Burn the Picassos.
Follow Oxford's example:
cut Schubert and teach bongos.
Burn all Western Art
You'd like that.
I followed my boss's instructions.
Those Health bureaucrats are criminals.
Everyone knows it.
They let thousands die in the pandemic.
You're following their instructions?
We should lock them in camps.
North of Chibougamau.
I was following orders.
Enough, you wretch.
Enough, please.
"Following orders."
Every war criminal's defense.
"Following orders."
Like Adolf Eichmann.
Like Ratko Mladic.
The Butcher of Bosnia.
My boss is
Your boss is illiterate.
She has the IQ of a beet.
All our politicians are ignorant.
It's a prerequisite for the job.
The only art they know
is Cirque du Soleil.
And Cline Dion.
That's all.
That's all.
All.
All.
Freedom for Arts and Culture.
Save our heritage.
Quebec is our history.
Reminds me of my youth.
Us too.
Oh yeah.
All the nationalist groups have gathered
outside the Parizeau-Duplessis Home
to fiercely protest the savage destruction
of priceless works of Quebec art,
in this case, a mural by D'Aubigny,
a student of Jean-Lon Grme in Paris.
At the time, the press dubbed D'Aubigny
the French-Canadian Michelangelo.
We've always been there:
at the opening of Place des Arts,
at Sir-George-Williams,
for a French McGill.
That's where we were first clubbed.
They had mounted police.
It was very violent. I was scared.
Me too.
We spent our first night in jail.
Then there was the Queen's visit.
Truncheon Saturday.
We were arrested there too.
Then Saint-Jean-Baptiste.
Truncheon Monday.
And then, the War Measures Act.
The RCMP kicked down our door
in the middle of the night.
I spent 11 days in jail.
14 for me.
Then
later, we lost both referendums.
The second one was stolen from us.
We've never given up.
We helped fund Pierre Falardeau's films.
So long as we can walk,
we'll march for Quebec Culture.
For sure.
A very different reaction
than what we saw outside
the School of Digital and Conceptual Art
and Media Identities at UQAM.
What's his name? Demontigny?
D'Aubigny, Jean-Joseph D'Aubigny.
Museums are full of dead white males.
Time to clean up the museums.
Yeah.
The Representative for LaPeltrie.
Madam Speaker,
we've always stood with artists here.
The mural's erasure is no different
than the Taliban's destruction
of the giant Buddha statues,
or the Islamic State pillaging
the ruins of Palmyra, gosh darn it!
Yeah!
After 260 years of survival,
Quebec culture is dying.
Where British imperialism failed
mass immigration,
Facebook, Google
and all the others
have succeeded.
Of course, in 200 years,
there will probably be a few Quebecers
speaking some kind of patois
in the depths of Abitibi.
But their gibberish will be
as unintelligible
as the Cajuns in their bayous
singing Jole Blon.
You know what's coming, right?
I can imagine.
I know you did your best.
Sorry. I'm putting her through.
Mrs. Francoeur, in your opinion,
what's the most important quality
in a civil servant?
I don't know.
The most important quality, madam,
first and foremost, is discretion.
Take our finance deputies.
Two remarkable women.
Their names are never mentioned anywhere.
In my opinion, they're
the ideal civil servants.
While you and your establishment
are on TV every night.
It's not my fault, madam.
On the contrary it's entirely your fault.
I didn't do anything.
Didn't do anything?
You vandalized a work of art.
We have UNESCO on our backs.
But you asked me to
I asked you to solve a problem.
Not create an international scandal.
That said, I'm also to blame.
I can't expect you to know art history.
How was I supposed to know
I understand that you panicked.
You were obviously overwhelmed.
I wasn't overwhelmed. You said
I understand your reaction.
You weren't equipped to handle
this kind of conflict.
I have your file here.
I see your academic qualifications are
minimal, so to speak.
My family was poor.
I had to start working young.
You barely finished high school.
I started as a hospital attendant.
So, you mopped floors.
A lot of other things too.
I worked very hard.
I went to night school for years.
I took jobs no one wanted, madam.
I did that often.
I don't doubt your commitment.
That's not it.
It's just that some theoretical knowledge
can only be acquired through
higher education.
If you say so.
It is what it is.
The little lady will have to understand.
Madam Speaker
Everyone knows how much I appreciate art,
Quebec art in particular.
All the guests in my home
can admire the magnificent Corno
gracing my living room wall.
In the summer,
I make it a point to attend
all the local summer theaters.
Even in the winter,
when my schedule allows it,
I'm often seen in concert halls,
listening to our wonderful Quebec
male and female singers,
as well as our incredible
female, male or other comedians.
What happened at this retirement home
was a regrettable mistake.
I assure you, Madam Speaker,
we've solved the problem
and those responsible
were disciplined severely.
I've been transferred to Quebec City.
To the Sectorial Organizational
Charts Planification Department.
I don't want to.
I can't be exiled to Quebec City.
Quit.
To do what? Go where?
I was just reminded,
I have no qualifications.
If you go, they'll destroy you.
I know.
Suzanne
come live with me.
I've been wanting to
ask you for some time.
I've never found the right moment
or the right words.
You're the first woman I've ever asked.
I hardly know you.
It's a safe bet.
I'm too old to be dangerous.
And we both know what's waiting for me:
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia,
colorectal cancer,
Lewy body dementia
A bright future.
But you'd have the opportunity
to control me completely.
And
I feel like together,
it'll be easier to cope with
the stupidity of the world.
Sorry. There's a woman with a baby here.
Not now.
Let her in.
What's gotten into you?
This is my son.
How old is he?
8 months.
Can I hold him?
Of course.
Go on, sweetie.
What a handsome boy.
It's incredible.
This is the first time I hold a baby.
Here.
What's his name?
Mathieu.
Hi, Mathieu.
Can we take him for the afternoon?
I
Yes, I brought his stroller and food.
Perfect.
I'll come help you with that.
I'll pick him up at 6:30.
Perfect.
Life is unpredictable, right to the end.
A few months ago,
I was quite ready to die.
Living didn't hold much interest
for me anymore.
And now, this afternoon,
I want to live as long as possible.
I'm giddy as a teenager.
But now, thanks to this child,
I have to start worrying about
climate change.
It goes to show nothing's perfect.