Tom (Rémy Girard), Charlie (Gilbert Sicotte), and Ted (Kenneth Welsh) fled society years ago, and have eked out a back-to-the-land existence, selling pot … The next shortlisted title I decided to pick-up was the other French Canadian title on the list, And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier, translated by Rhonda Mullins. To say that And the Birds Rained Down is a story of tragedy and isolation would be accurate, but in no way reflects the feel of the piece. | EU Privacy Preferences. Tom and Charlie have forsaken the conveniences of greater civilization and live without modern amenities in neighbouring shacks in the woods. And The Birds Rained Down. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. And the Birds Rained Down, Jocelyne Saucier. And any film with a burning forest backdrop will inevitably have its ecological point to make, with the man-made Great Fire directly or indirectly affecting the lives of all the characters. As I began organizing my thoughts for this piece, it became clear to me that a straightforward review structure – whether “summarize and contextualize” or “argue-summarize” or “summarize-examine-explain” – would not do justice to Jocelyne Saucier’s novel, which is itself … © 2021 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Directed by Louise Archambault. The title, And the Birds Rained Down, is part of the draw of the book. September 8, 2019 7:33 am. | California Privacy Rights CD-Audio. FACEBOOK By relying so heavily on metaphors of dark and light, hot and cool, the novel becomes nearly as sensually evocative as, one imagines, the photographs and paintings described in the text. Composers: Andréa Bélanger, David Ratté Saucier’s italicized interstitials double this impression, adding another loving layer to a story about the wilderness of this winter so late in the lives of these characters. paper. Il pleuvait des oiseaux. Venue: San Sebastian International Film Festival (Official Selection) Often this genre includes themes of love, nature, philosophy, tender meditation, age and interpersonal relationships, i.e. Jocelyne Saucier’s And the Birds Rained Down investigates the spaces left open by each of these failures. This is the first time in the history of the show that two French Canadian books have been featured at the same time. • Emily M. Keeler is the editor of Little Brother magazine. A haunting meditation on aging and self-determination, And the Birds Rained Down, originally published in French as Il pleuvait des oiseaux, was the winner of the Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, the first Canadian title to win this honour. Cleaving closely to the award-winning Jocelyne Saucier novel on which it’s based, this eco-friendly, elegantly delivered tale about the sunset changes in the lives of a trio of graybeards living in the woods is engaging, thought-provoking and ultimately moving, with potential mainstream appeal among the middle-age demographic that could generate interest beyond the fest circuit. A CBC Canada Reads 2015 Selection! Quebec, Canada, Nowadays. ebook, 176 pages. Sales: Indie Sales. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. The first half of the book introduces the dramatis personae one by one in chapters that use each character’s name (or in the case of the photographer, her principal role) for their title. Editor’s note: (Jan. 27, 2020) An earlier version of this article included an incorrect name for … Executive producer: Nathalie Bissonnette While Boychuck, the survivor our nameless heroine is seeking, turns out to have died, she stumbles on to a strange community of feral old men. DP Mathieu Laverdière thankfully doesn’t engage in drone abuse, but neither does he miss the opportunity for some nicely staged tableaux, for example of Marie-Desneige sitting nervously on the dock as Charlie tries to coax her into the water. AdChoices A deceptively gentle rural drama with an ecological slant and a tone that darkens as it advances, And the Birds Rained Down ends up delivering far more than it initially promises. By the second half of the novel, each character’s voice has become sufficiently tied up to a larger story, and the novel’s prose turns over into a study of the ways in which light can shine on histories of both place and self. “But we must (first) pause and introduce the Great Fires that ravaged Northern Ontario at the beginning of the twentieth century”. Jonathan Holland A photographer sets off toward a mysterious forest to find Boychuk, witness and victim of the Great Fire that swept through Northern Ontario at the turn of the 20th century. Quebec, Canada. The novel begins with an unnamed photographer on the hunt for survivors of the great fires that ravaged Northern Ontario at the beginning of the 20th century. Steve, the innkeeper of an all-but-abandoned roadside hotel, and Bruno, a shady middle manager in the marijuana business, are Tom and Charlie’s primary links to the outside world. Originally published in French, And the Birds Rained Down, the recipient of several prizes, is a haunting meditation on aging and self-determination. Like old age itself, on the surface Birds might be placid, but there's a lot going on beneath. Often this genre includes themes of love, nature, philosophy, tender meditation, age and interpersonal relationships, i.e. Their lives are suddenly turned upside down when the first of 2 unexpected women intrude on their lives. The stage is thus set for an On Golden Pond-style, comfortable third-age drama with a light comic edge, but Birds ends up going much deeper and darker than that as the script, driven along by beautifully nuanced performances from its central trio, leads us into some quite unexpected areas. Visually, things are, gorgeously, what you’d expect from a film set in a Canadian forest by a lake. Producer: Ginette Petit the meaningful connections forged between people, all themes which … Please try again. Costars include Andrée Lachapelle, Gilbert Sicotte, Rémy Girard & Kenneth Welsh. The first, wonderful exchange of glances between Gertrude and Charlie (on arrival, she symbolically casts away her troubled institutionalized past by renaming herself “Marie-Desneige”) indeed develops into a tremulous octogenarian love affair as Charlie takes her under his wing and shows her a whole new life, not just of stolen, old-folk kisses but of full-blown sensuality. Summary. by The photographer, gathering her stories and taking pictures, is a conduit for an imagined oral history of the Great Fire, and the many losses and the legends it spawned in its devastating wake. Director of photography: Mathieu Laverdière We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Put less euphemistically, this is a movie about old people, and when one passes a certain age, the urge … And the Birds Rained Down was the first Canadian book to win France’s Prix des Cinq Continents de la Francophonie, and Saucier’s use of language retains no small measure of enchantment in Rhonda Mullins’s translation. Reason vs. Author (s): Jocelyne Saucier, Rhonda Mullins. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Transl. And the Birds Rained Down. Coach House Books. Festivals, News, Reviews. Her photographer is after “the precision of the grain that seeks out the light in the creases of the flesh.” She feels a suffusion of kinship with a lonely woman who operates the Matheson Fire Museum, for they both strive to collect the relics of the past, authentic love stories on the one hand, and “old miracle survivors” on the other. And the Birds Rained Down (ebook) Published March 22nd 2013 by Coach House Books. Casting directors: Karel Quinn, Lucie Robitaille One of the main characters, the Photographer is looking for the survivors of the fires. Jocelyne Saucier. Costume designer: Caroline Poirier The novel’s structure also presents an occasion for Saucier to play with portraiture. 978-1-55245-268-4. Synopsis. X. Louise Archambault. | Genre: Drama, Old age. Gertrude refuses to go back inside, wishing to see the countryside, so Steve decides to ask an initially reluctant Charlie and Tom, to whom he delivers supplies, if they can put her up. As acclaimed director Louise Archambault's elegiac and charming And the Birds Rained Down opens, we meet three hermits living in cabins in the Quebec countryside, miles from civilization. Unabridged. Three elderly hermits live in the woods. Synopsis: On the shores of a lake in the heart of the Abitibi forest, three elderly men living as hermits have found peace. And the Birds Rained Down. A quiet and unflinching look at the freedom of living on one's own terms, "And the Birds Rained Down" has plenty of wisdom to offer readers. The title, And the Birds Rained Down, is part of the draw of the book. Director-screenwriter: Louise Archambault, based on the novel by Jocelyne Saucier $18.95. Three elderly hermits live in the woods, cut off from the rest of the world. The third feature from Canadian Louise Archambault explores the impact of outside intrusions on the lives of a trio of old-timers living in the wild. The Inhumanity of War. What can so many thousand words, or so many photographs, really convey about the richness of even one single life? And the Birds Rained Down. The relationship between Raf and Steve that may or may not be happening feels undercooked by comparison with all the in-forest drama: As a character, Raf never quite escapes her outsider-intruder status in either the lives of the other characters or in the movie. There are italicized interstitial sections that sit like cards describing a work on the gallery wall between longer explorations of voice. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. Ever since the catastrophic fires nearly a century ago, Tom and Charlie live by their own rules, off the land and free of all ties. Translated by Rhonda Mullins. Nat Hocken, a disabled veteran who works part-time on a farm, observes that there seem to be more birds … In a nearby town, Steve (Éric Robidoux), manager of a local hotel with few guests who spends a lot of time smoking the old boys' weed, is escorting his elderly aunt Gertrude (Andrée Lachapelle) back to her rest home following a funeral. As the book opens, the Photographer has spent a day driving through “labyrinths of quad trails and skidding roads” surrounded by “walls of spruce” so thick she can barely penetrate them. Cast: Andrée Lachapelle, Gilbert Sicotte, Rémy Girard, Kenneth Welsh, Ève Landry, Éric Robidoux Photography’s failure, on the other hand, is that it can only evoke narrative — the story requires some assembly on our part to figure out why that one was loved. Offers. The animals they trap, for food and furs, and the shortening days of autumn are constant reminders of the precariousness of life, of the inevitability of the end. Condition: New. Meanwhile photographer Raf (Ève Landry) appears, wishing to photograph Ted, whose family died in a wildfire that devastated the region years before — hence the film’s self-consciously poetic title. While she is ostensibly interested in portraiture, it becomes clear that what the photographer is really after is experience, or the stories of experience. The next issue of Posted Newsletter will soon be in your inbox. An award-winning and haunting meditation on aging and self-determination. The reaction of Charlie and Tom is interestingly calm and philosophical, which pretty much describes the tone of the film. It begins with a photographer arriving deep in the forest in Northern Ontario at a clearing where a stream cascades into volcanic rock. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is a registered trademark of The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. And the Birds Rained Down (French: Il pleuvait des oiseaux) is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Louise Archambault. Three elderly hermits live in the woods. Ted’s paintings of the fire, discovered by Raf in a shed that’s been locked for years, are evidence of that — and meanwhile, back in the present and just a few miles off, another forest fire threatens. And the Birds Rained Down opens Jan. 10 in Vancouver and Jan. 24 in Toronto. It’s perhaps unlikely that a natural performer like Tom would have shunned humanity so radically by heading out into the woods. Besides having a peculiar plot that is as mysterious as it is romantic, it also reads quite like a stage play with a third-person narrator introducing each unique character-centered or topical chapter. Rhonda Mullins, Coach House Books, 2012. by Adrienne Celt. image link. The short and tender novel is a meditation on the kinds of light that can be shined on both regional and personal histories, and on the burden of representation. | Do Not Sell My Personal Information The horror stories of the great fire begin to surface and smoke seems to fill the pages, though Saucier skilfully funnels that dark bleakness into wonder. But within the first 10 minutes, Ted unexpectedly dies in his sleep. On the darker side, the theme of euthanasia is broached, like everything else, with delicacy and maturity. It’s a failing of language that it will never capture what it means for light to fall on a loved one’s face. 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. 11:16 AM PDT 10/1/2019 the meaningful connections forged between people, all themes which … Meanwhile, a late subplot involving a couple of rookie cops feels superfluous to dramatic requirements. “Like the collector,” Susan Sontag wrote, “the photographer is animated by a passion that, even when it seems to be for the present, is linked to a sense of the past.” And so it is with Saucier’s photographer, taken as she is with both history and those who have somehow survived it. © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, LLC. It also features a star-studded ensemble cast of legendary Quebec actors, including Remy Girard, Gilbert Sicotte, Louise Portal, and Andrée Lachapelle. The most comforting book you’ve ever read about mass destruction, trauma, mental illness, suicide, marijuana, and love. But before she arrives, she learns that Boychuck has just perished. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Nowadays. There’s a subtle magic to the way this short novel moves. On the third of December in a quiet, seaside town, the season shifts abruptly from autumn to winter. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. We encountered an issue signing you up. And the Birds Rained Down. However, when one of them passes away, the death threatens to throw off their perfect balance. Read Full Synopsis Cast + Crew Previous Cast Members More Cast Members. PostPandemic: How COVID-19 is reshaping Canada, Book Review: And the Birds Rained Down, by Jocelyne Saucier, tap here to see other videos from our team. 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. “But we must (first) pause and introduce the Great Fires that ravaged Northern Ontario at the beginning of the twentieth century”. Read more about cookies here. And the Birds Rained Down (2019) Il pleuvait des oiseaux. The poem, along with others, is often cited when speaking about the beginnings of Romanticism in England. With Andrée Lachapelle, Gilbert Sicotte, Rémy Girard, Kenneth Welsh. ISBN: … Analysis. The piano-based score by Andréa Bélanger and David Ratté of Montreal indie folk outfit Will Driving West stays just the right side of sentimental. And the Birds Rained Down (2019) Plot. Having chosen to be wild, the old men live in close quarters with death. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. There are a few false notes in Birds. And the Birds Rained Down. Running time: 124 min. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. And the Birds Rained Down. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. In the end this may be the appropriate genre for And the Birds Rained Down. Editor: Richard Comeau Showing all 2 items Jump to: Summaries (2) Summaries. An adaptation of the novel by Jocelyne Saucier, the film centres on a group of senior citizens living off-the-grid in a wilderness setting, whose orderly and quiet lives are threatened by changes in their personal group dynamics after the death of the group leader and the arrival of a new outsider. Director Louise Archambault takes a considerate and measured approach to her adaptation of “ And the Birds Rained Down ,” which is fitting for a number of reasons, not the least of which as a reflection of the more seasoned characters featured. Terms of Use | But the real musical honors go to Rémy Girard’s live performances of Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on a Wire” and Tom Waits’ funereally beautiful “Time” — riskily performed by Girard at full length, perhaps because of its entirely apt title-nod line, “And a thousand pigeons fall around her feet.”, Production companies: Les Films Outsiders Gruff, down-to-earth Charlie (Gilbert Sicotte); bouncy (and tubbier) Tom (Rémy Girard), a singer who plays in the local bars; and Ted (Kenneth Welsh) are living a life of apparently Thoreauvian simplicity (plus marijuana plants) far from civilization, in the middle of a forest near a lake. In the end this may be the appropriate genre for And the Birds Rained Down. Chaos. Her investigative work makes for short turns and dead ends down memory lane, but these frustrations only add to the fable-like quality of her quest. Jocelyne Saucier's And the Birds Rained Down was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award for French to English translation in 2013. 155pp. The short and tender novel is a meditation on the kinds of light that can be shined on both regional and personal histories, and on the burden of representation. 74 likes. 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. Sitemap | Brilliance Corporation, United States, 2019. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. Jocelyne Saucier’s And the Birds Rained Down investigates the spaces left open by each of these failures. In the opening pages she’s staring down the end of her compulsive photography project; there’s just one known survivor left, supposedly living in a shack in an unpopulated forest. See Full Cast + Crew for And the Birds Rained Down Features Load More Features Movie Reviews Presented by Rotten Tomatoes. In deep Ontario live 2 men Tom and Charlie who don't want anything to do with the outside world at all. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. On the shores of a lake in the heart of the Abitibi forest, three elderly men living as hermits have found peace. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. And the Birds Rained Down Synopsis. Art directors: Marie-Claude Gosselin, Jean Le Bourdais Within its quiet, intimate personal dramas, And The Birds Rained Down delivers a poetic, elegiac study of intertwined lives and destinies, where love can happen at any age. Sontag links the photographer’s interest in their subject to the collector’s fascination with the genuineness, or authenticity, of their desired objects, and so does Saucier. All rights reserved. And the Birds Rained Down is a quiet book, a tidy book, a comforting book. The short and tender novel is a meditation on … One of the main characters, the Photographer is looking for the survivors of the fires. Their nighttime conversations across a darkened room — like those of kids in summer camp, except they’re 80 — are among the pic’s most memorable scenes as their inevitably painful back stories start to emerge. TWITTER Privacy Policy | EMAIL ME. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ is Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s best-known poem it is also Coleridge’s longest poem.It was written over the course of a year from 1797 to 1798 and published immediately after in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. … the title, and the Birds Rained Down investigates the spaces left open each., mental illness, suicide, marijuana, and the Birds Rained Down do n't anything! A lake in the end this may be the appropriate genre for and the Birds Rained Down, part. A Photographer arriving deep in the heart of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, LLC of euthanasia is broached, everything! Old age itself, on the shores of a lake in the woods so. Their perfect balance stays just the right side of sentimental in his sleep, Ted unexpectedly dies his. Keep your comments relevant and respectful uses cookies to personalize your content ( including ads ), and the Rained. 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