Mourning for Anna (2010)
"Trois temps après la mort d'Anna" (original title)

How to go on living afterwards? It is the end of winter. A young violinist is murdered in her apartment by a stranger. Her mother is in shock. Devastated by the violent death of her ... See full summary »

Director:

Catherine Martin

Writer:

Catherine Martin

Stars:

Denis Bernard, Denise Gagnon, Sheila Jaffe

3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Denis Bernard	...	Jean-Pierre
Denise Gagnon	...	Grand-Mère
Sheila Jaffe	...	Anna
François Papineau	...	Edouard
Guylaine Tremblay	...	Françoise

Storyline

How to go on living afterwards? It is the end of winter. A young violinist is murdered in her apartment by a stranger. Her mother is in shock. Devastated by the violent death of her daughter, she decides to leave Montréal and take refuge, alone, in Kamouraska, at the country house built by her maternal ancestors and inherited from her mother. She tries to rebuild an interior life by re-establishing contact with Nature, with the house, and with the objects that remind her of her childhood and that of her daughter. But the mother's grief is profound: she doesn't want to go on living. In extremis, she is discovered and saved in the forest by a man while she was letting herself freeze to death. They recognize each other: they knew each other as teenagers. They can't help letting the amorous feelings of those times resurface. The presence of this man and the benevolent spirits of her grandmother, mother and daughter, all dead yet still present for her, help her regain her equilibrium and ...

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Plot Keywords:

grief | forest | country house | murder | death of daughter | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Release Date:

5 July 2010 (Czech Republic)

Also Known As:

Mourning for Anna

Filming Locations:

Kamouraska, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Association Coopérative des Productions Audio-Visuelles (ACPAV), Coop Vidéo de Montréal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

a must see

I thought I would not like this film as it deals with the death of someone's child, afraid it would be depressing. In fact it was the opposite. The film maker is actually very careful to not get maudlin or sentimental and focuses instead on the mother's grieving process. However the superb acting of Guylaine Tremblay manages to convey a lot without excess emotion, we see the internal struggles not the external emotions. As well the winter St. Lawrence provides an other worldly setting that is apart from the every day world. Much of the picture is the main character herself alone in that world, which was excellent at conveying the separateness of those who grieve, how they are apart from the rest of us. The use of music throughout, the natural setting and the creative images provided by beloved relatives who have passed provided a depth that was letter perfect. The director Catherine Martin also provides an ending that is also perfect for this film. Overall a film that leaves images and sound resonating after you watch it.