I
always make sure that every year at the Vancouver International Film
Festival I see at least one Canadian film. This year I saw two, the
other being The Dirties,
and the second one was a Quebec film called Sarah
préfère la course or
Sarah Prefers to Run.
I haven't seen a lot of French Canadian cinema, but I admire what I
have seen. And Quebec has it figured out as far as making local films
that their population actually wants to watch. You see, unlike the
rest of Canada, the Quebecois actually go out to see locally made
movies just as much, if not more than the typical blockbuster. Most
of the rest of Canada watches American movies and ignores what we
make, though it doesn't help that our films are really poorly
marketed. Who even knows when the last Canadian produced feature got
distributed in theatres? I don't know. I try to see them when I know
their out... but I digress.
This
film follows Sarah (Sophie Desmarais), a remarkable athlete as she
finishes high school and has big plans to go to McGill University in
Montreal where she can continue her competitive running. Her mother
is not particular supportive and feels that the financial burden
would be too much for them. Sarah does get support from a coworker
named Antoine (Jean-Sébastien
Courchesne),
who wants to get away from his life also. He proposes moving to
Montreal together and getting married for the sole purpose of
receiving the financial assistance from the government for young
couples that are going to school. And yeah, of course that's his only
motivation.
Sarah
Prefers to Run
looks and feels like a festival sort of movie, appealing to art film
fans and doesn't hold much mainstream appeal. This isn't a bad thing
because it has seen a fair bit of success at the festivals its gone
to. And I like it. I enjoy movies like this, but I know when I see
them who they could draw in as an audience. But hey, that's why I go
to VIFF. It's my chance to see films that I might not get the chance
to see at multiplexes. Not to say that there is anything particularly
challenging about the film, it just is slow and contemplative rather
than obviously hilarious or dramatic. It is a film full of nuance and
forces very little on the audience. This is because Sarah is a
character of subtleties. She doesn't talk much and rarely does she
really open up about herself.
I
think that was the idea behind the film; to have a protagonist who is
not particularly charismatic. In some ways we find ourselves in
Antoine's shoes in that we feel great affection toward Sarah without
much of an understanding why. We want to see her succeed and want to
love her as a character, but she is closed off and as such, it makes
the process a little bit frustrating. Sarah finds fulfilment in
running and in some ways that is how she defines herself. So, while
it is difficult to get close to Sarah, there is something to admire
about her. She loves running and excels at it. She has found the
thing in life that liberates her soul which is something that a lot
of people in life do not find. We often define ourselves by our work
or our family situation, but Sarah has found what it is that she
wishes to pursue in life and to some degree she is single minded
about that. Perhaps that's something to admire. I haven't decided. On
another level it is a little bit sad that she doesn't find much else
in life to enjoy.
Sarah
is played by Sophie Desmarais who is a wonderful actress. Not many
could play this part with this level of competency and I believe that
a main reason this film works at all is because of her. Because this
is essentially a character piece and Sarah is such a quiet character,
Desmarais was a good choice in that she acts with her eyes. She
communicates so much without using any words and despite playing a
character who isn't very charismatic, she is very charming. In fact,
I kinda find myself crushing on her. She is so fascinating to watch
and is unbelievably beautiful in a modest and reserved way. It took
me by surprise.
Sarah
Prefers To Run
is the feature film debut of Quebec City native Chloé Robichaud and
at only 25 years old, she has a very promising career ahead of her.
It is a confident and in depth piece she's written and directed here.
And like I mentioned earlier, unlike many Canadian film makers, by
being a Quebecois director, she actually could probably make a good
living making films like this. I wish her the best of luck and am
looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.
3.5
Stars
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