Saturday, September 27, 2008

Anne Trister


Perhaps some of you will be surprised that finally I saw this 1986 Léa Pool movie and after seeing it I wonder why it took me so long to see this good movie with very good silent performances by the two lead actresses as those sights tell a lot more than the dialogues and the distracting secondary plots.

The movie tells the story of a young Jewish artist, Anne, that after her father’s death travels alone from Switzerland to Montreal leaving behind her boyfriend and gentile mother. In Montreal she stays with older friend Alix a child psychiatric that’s absorbed by little Sarah abuse case. Alix has a not living-in boyfriend Thomas that’s not really pleased with Anne living at Alix’s place. As Anne and Alix start to talk and share their lives, slowly the attraction develops with Anne falling for Alix and well the rest you have to see it, and I mean it as the way these two women look at each other is really intense.

Today this 1986 movie perhaps looks a little bit odd because the hair, the clothes and the total look of actors, but to me it was an amazing trip into memory lane as I was living in Montreal in those days and well, that’s the way we used to dress (lol!). I really couldn’t believe that I have a picture of myself from those days and I look so much alike to Anne (because the hair and look), that was something really strange.

Well enough of my personal experience, but I want to share with you that this story is inspired in an idea by Léa Pool who co wrote the screenplay and some claim that’s based and/or resembles her real life story. I tend to believe that maybe it’s true, as the way the story develops looks so real that “someone” had to know for real what is told in the movie.

As a movie looks and feels more French than Quebecois cinema so it is no surprise that was in competition for a Golden Bear at the 1986 Berlinale and that won two 1987 Genie Awards for Best Achievement in Cinematography and Danielle Messia for Best Original Song; also Lucie Laurier (plays Sarah) was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role.

Speaking of music, the movie soundtrack is great, especially the song by Danielle Messia’s “De la Main Gauche” that has incredibly good lyrics.

Well, this was truly a great and enjoyable surprise and definitively a must be seen in the genre and for those that like art cinema.

Enjoy!!!

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