And the Birds Rained Down (2019)

Three elderly hermits live in the woods. While wildfires threaten the region, their quiet life is about to be shaken by the arrival of two women - A story of intertwined destinies, where love can happen at any age.

Director:

Louise Archambault

Writers:

Louise Archambault, Jocelyne Saucier (novel)

Stars:

Andrée Lachapelle, Gilbert Sicotte, Rémy Girard

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Andrée Lachapelle	...	Marie-Desneige
Gilbert Sicotte	...	Charlie
Rémy Girard	...	Tom
Kenneth Welsh	...	Boychuck
Ève Landry	...	Rafaëlle
Éric Robidoux	...	Steve
Louise Portal	...	Geneviève

Storyline

Quebec, Canada, Nowadays. Three elderly hermits live deep in the woods, cut off from the rest of the world. While wildfires threaten the region, their quiet life is about to be shaken by the arrival of two women - A luminous octogenarian, unjustly institutionalized her whole life, and a young photographer charged with interviewing survivors of the region's deadliest forest fire. After the death of the eldest hermit, the two women make an astonishing discovery: hundreds of paintings echoing his tragic experience related to that devastating fire. A story of intertwined destinies, where love can happen at any age.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

Canada

Language:

French

Release Date:

13 September 2019 (Canada)

Also Known As:

And the Birds Rained Down

Box Office

Budget:

CAD4,300,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Outsiders, Les

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Unfortunatly too long

The story revolves around four elderly people, three men and a woman, joined by two secondary characters. One of the men dies at the very beginning of the film, but his spiritual presence is nonetheless felt. Each main character is surviving a difficult past and takes refuge in an individual cabin in the woods, near a lake. Friendships and amorous relationships are formed in idyllic settings, during a beautiful summer without rain and mosquitoes. In the meantime, a forest fire is approaching. What is the meaning of existence for each of the main characters? What will be their future?

These premises are interesting, but unfortunately the film lacks rhythm and lags. One feels that for some scenes, the film director refused to leave images on the floor of the editing room, notably with regards to an erotic scene that brings nothing to the story and whose object was probably aesthetic. 10-20 minutes of film should have been cut to accelerate the pace and generate more curiosity than waiting time. As for the acting, while Gilbert Sicotte and the extras are very good, most others have difficulty adopting the right tone, thus making them less convincing, which I would fault on insufficient actor direction. Finally, the action takes place in a sanitized version of nature; no mosquitoes, no black flies, no dirt, no rain and no preparation for the coming winter. You buy this if you live in the city; you don't otherwise.

But this is the director's third full length film, after Familia (2005) and Gabrielle (2013), the latter being much more engaging and convincing. She is learning the hard way, but she is promising.