The Age of Ignorance (2007)
"L'âge des ténèbres" (original title)

Jean-Marc Leblanc (Labrèche), a desperate civil servant, escapes reality as we all know it, to imagine himself as the hero in imaginary adventures.

Director:

Denys Arcand

Writer:

Denys Arcand

Stars:

Marc Labrèche, Diane Kruger, Sylvie Léonard

1 win & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Marc Labrèche	...	Jean-Marc Leblanc
Diane Kruger	...	Véronica Star
Sylvie Léonard	...	Sylvie Cormier-LeBlanc
Caroline Néron	...	Carole Bigras-Bourque
Rufus Wainwright	...	Le jeune prince / Le prince chantant
Macha Grenon	...	Béatrice de Savoie
Emma de Caunes	...	Karine Tendance
Didier Lucien	...	William Chérubin
Rosalie Julien	...	Laurence Métivier
Jean-René Ouellet	...	Policier / St-Bernard de Clairvaux
André Robitaille	...	Gilles Sansregret
Hugo Giroux	...	Thorvald
Christian Bégin	...	Le motivateur par le rire
Pierre Curzi	...	Pierre
Gilles Pelletier	...	Raymond Leclerc

Storyline

Jean-Marc is a man without qualities living in times that are out of joint. His wife and children ignore him; he's a mid-level civil servant in Montreal doing his job without care. He has an active imagination of sexual conquest, but his only real feelings come when he visits his aged mother, whose health is failing. When his wife leaves abruptly to work in Toronto, Jean-Marc sets out to reorder things with his daughters, his social life, and at work. In a world that at best is a farce, does he stand a chance?

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Plot Keywords:

conquest | farce | civil servant | marital discord | spontaneous sex | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

French English

Release Date:

26 September 2007 (France)

Also Known As:

The Age of Ignorance

Filming Locations:

Laval, Québec, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinémaginaire Inc., Mon Voisin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Canada's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).

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Connections

Spoofs Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

User Reviews

Brilliant!!!

If there is any hope for Canadian films it is in Quebec. Quebec filmmakers are not beholden to Hollywood, enslaved by its techniques or inclined to copy its product. This is an original, brilliantly conceived, masterfully shot and superbly performed film. I'm not sure whether it's satire, social commentary, comedy or perhaps a little of each. It's slightly reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's Brazil but it stands on its own as a powerful film with a thoughtful (if dark) message. The shame is that films of this quality are not seen in English Canada nor in the US outside the limited sphere of film festivals and fringe cinemas. Denys Arcand is a genius and it shows in this work. This film is what movie making is all about! Or should be.