And the Birds Rained Down (French: Il pleuvait des oiseaux) is a 2019 Canadian drama film, directed by Louise Archambault.[1] 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.[2]
| And the Birds Rained Down | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| French | Il pleuvait des oiseaux |
| Directed by | Louise Archambault |
| Written by | Louise Archambault |
| Based on | Il pleuvait des oiseaux by Jocelyne Saucier |
| Produced by | Ginette Petit |
| Starring | Rémy Girard Gilbert Sicotte Andrée Lachapelle Ève Landry |
| Cinematography | Mathieu Laverdière |
| Edited by | Richard Comeau |
Production company | Les Films Outsiders |
| Distributed by | MK2 Mile End Indie Sales |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
The film's cast includes Rémy Girard, Gilbert Sicotte, Andrée Lachapelle, Ève Landry, Louise Portal, Éric Robidoux, Marie-Ginette Guay and Kenneth Welsh. It was Lachapelle's final film role before her death, and one of the last film roles for Welsh before his.
Premise
editTed (Welsh), Charlie (Sicotte) and Tom (Girard) are three elderly men who have withdrawn from society, and are living off-the-grid at a wilderness cabin. Their only connection to the outside world is Steve (Éric Robidoux), the manager of a hotel in the nearby town who visits weekly to bring them food and supplies in exchange for a share of the marijuana that they illegally grow onsite.
One morning, however, Ted dies in his sleep; as he was effectively the group leader, this leaves Charlie and Tom a bit out of sorts. Soon afterward, their lives are further disrupted when Steve brings his aunt Gertrude (Lachapelle), who does not want to return to the assisted living facility where she has been living for many years, to live with them; she further decides to break from her past by dropping the name Gertrude and going by Marie-Desneige. At the same time Raf (Landry), a local photographer who is trying to document the relatively few remaining survivors of a forest fire that devastated the region decades earlier, arrives in search of Ted. Meanwhile, there is the threat of another forest fire nearby that may further disrupt their lives.
Release
editThe film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival,[3] and was commercially released to theatres in September 2019.[4]
Critical response
editJonathan Holland of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "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. 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. 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."[5]
Norman Wilner of Now rated the film four N's, writing that "It’s muted and moving, patiently assembling its characters and gliding alongside them, offering us a sense of individual stories coming together. The narrative balances its familiarity with texture and feeling there aren’t too many surprises, but Archambault offers a specificity – a sense of people and place – that grows richer and more moving as her film unfolds." He particularly praised the performances of Sicotte, Girard and Lachapelle, writing that "Sicotte and Girard are enthralling as the aging heroes, who treasure their shared solitude but are willing to welcome people in need, and Lachapelle – who died last fall – delivers an exquisitely felt valedictory performance as a woman experiencing life for the first time."[6]
Janet Smith of The Georgia Straight wrote that "what stands out most is the fully fleshed old folks here—figuratively as well as literally. With few words, Sicotte and Lachapelle show stirrings rarely portrayed in the elderly, and not just the erotic kind. The octagenarians’ subtle lessons about living in the moment should translate easily to anyone decades younger."[7]
Accolades
editIn December 2019, the film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list.[8]
The film was nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards, with Girard winning for Best Supporting Actor.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canadian Screen Awards | May 28, 2020 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Louise Archambault | Nominated | [9][10] |
| Best Actor | Gilbert Sicotte | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Rémy Girard | Won | |||
| Best Costume Design | Caroline Poirier | Nominated | |||
| Best Overall Sound | Jean Camden, Sylvain Bellemare, Bernard Gariépy Strobl, Stéphane Larivière | Nominated | |||
| Gothenburg Film Festival | January 24–February 3, 2020 | Dragon Award | Won | [11] | |
| Prix Iris | June 10, 2020 | Best Film | Ginette Petit | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Actor | Gilbert Sicotte | Won | |||
| Best Actress | Andrée Lachapelle | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Rémy Girard | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ève Landry | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Louise Archambault | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Mathieu Laverdière | Nominated | |||
| Best Art Direction | Marie-Claude Gosselin, Jean Lebourdais | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Andréa Bélanger, David Ratté | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Caroline Poirier | Nominated | |||
| Best Hairstyling | Martin Lapointe | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting | Karel Quinn, Lucie Robitaille | Nominated | |||
| Public Prize | Won | ||||
| San Sebastián International Film Festival | September 20–28, 2019 | Guipuzcoan Blood-Donors' Association Corresponding to the Solidarity Award | Won | [13] | |
| Toronto Film Critics Association | March 9, 2021 | Rogers Best Canadian Film Award | Louise Archambault | Runner-up | [14] |
References
edit- ^ "La bande-annonce du film Il pleuvait des oiseaux dévoilée". Ici Radio-Canada. July 30, 2019.
- ^ "Une première bande-annonce dévoilée pour "Il pleuvait des oiseaux"". Le Journal de Montréal. April 25, 2019.
- ^ Howell, Peter (July 31, 2019). "Indigenous films highlight Canadian slate at TIFF 2019". Toronto Star.
- ^ "Sortie bande-annonce : Il pleuvait des oiseaux". Voir. July 30, 2019.
- ^ Jonathan Holland, "'And the Birds Rained Down' ('Il pleuvait des oiseaux'): Film Review | San Sebastián 2019". The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2019.
- ^ Norman Wilner, "Review: And The Birds Rained Down is a rich, moving film about aging and relationships". Now, January 23, 2020.
- ^ Janet Smith, "And the Birds Rained Down: tender Quebecois film is a gem". The Georgia Straight, January 8, 2020.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (December 11, 2019). "TIFF announces Canada's top 10 films of 2019". Now.
- ^ "Écrans canadiens : Song of Names, The Twentieth Century et Antigone en tête des nominations" (in French). Ici Radio-Canada. February 18, 2020.
- ^ Demers, Maxime (May 28, 2020). "Antigone sacré meilleur film aux Écrans canadiens". Le Journal de Montréal (in French).
- ^ "Le film Il pleuvait des oiseaux récompensé par un festival européen" (in French). Ici Radio-Canada. February 6, 2020.
- ^ "Le film Antigone, grand gagnant du Gala Québec Cinéma avec six prix" (in French). Radio-Canada. June 10, 2020.
- ^ "Parallel awards". San Sebastián International Film Festival. September 28, 2019.
- ^ Wilner, Norman (March 10, 2021). "Toronto critics name Anne At 13,000 Ft. the year's best Canadian film". NOW Magazine. Retrieved March 12, 2021.