La Neuvaine

It’s hard not to be impressed by how engaging La Neuvaine eventually becomes, thanks to an opening half hour that’s remarkably pretentious and thoroughly dull. The film introduces us to two characters – Jeanne (Elise Guilbault) and Francois (Patrick Drolet) – both of whom have their own reasons for being miserable. Jeanne, a doctor, is recovering from a violent encounter with the disgruntled husband of a patient, while Francois is dealing with the imminent death of his ailing grandmother. After a chance meeting one afternoon, the two come to rely on each other for support (their relationship remains strictly platonic, though). La Neuvaine, written and directed by Bernard Émond, moves at an incredibly slow pace, as the filmmaker initially emphasizes style and mood over character development. But once Jeanne and Francois meet, the movie becomes oddly compelling and even a little moving. It certainly doesn’t hurt that both Guilbault and Drolet deliver subtle, nuanced performances (the plight of both their characters soon garners a great deal of sympathy from the viewer, something that’s particularly true of Jeanne). Unfortunately, Émond doesn’t quite know how to effectively wrap up the story – allowing the film to go on much longer than it needs to (to call the last 20 minutes anti-climactic is a gross understatement). Still, the performances – combined with the appropriately downbeat vibe – are effective enough to warrant a mild recommendation.

**1/2 out of ****