Ville-Marie: A Lesson on How to Feel

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When going to the movie theatre to see Ville-Marie by Guy Édoin, you must be ready to expect the unexpected.

I found the movie very different from a lot of other movies from Quebec, and I love the audacity, intelligence, and passion put into that story.

I also love the way it was filmed. First of all, the movie starts with a very slow movement: a young man walking and waiting for a bus. Near him, a woman is holding a baby. Everything is calm. That is, until the young woman gives him the baby and jumps under the bus. This is where it all starts. This shocking scene is the beginning of changes, of paths crossing, of truths being revealed.

A nurse (Pascale Bussière), an ambulance driver (Patrick Hivon), an actress (Monica Bellucci) and her son (Aliocha Schneider) are the central characters of this tale where the city takes a big role, almost as if she was a character herself. You will see humour, love, redemption, broken wings, disillusions, tenderness and broken lives. After a turning point, what is left unsaid? What happens? What changes?

Watching Guy Édoin’s movie is taking a plunge inside the human heart, and the history of movie making itself. You will laugh, you will appreciate the humour, you will feel your heart ache, you will feel the pain and understand the silences of the characters. You will see the story from the mother’s eye, from the connection between two mothers, between a mother and her son, and from the eye of a director (Frédéric Gilles) on his actress; you will feel it all. You will feel inside you the passion of life given by the incredible script of this movie.

Some moments can be a little long, but at least the director knows exactly how to film the city, and how to give life to his characters. Oh yes, go see, enjoy. I appreciated this movie tremendously. And in case you need another good reason to go it should be for Monica Bellucci. You should not miss her in this beautiful story of love and redemption.

Ville Marie is now playing in theatres.