Gabrielle
Special Presentation
Director: Louise Archambault
Quebecois director Louise Archambault tackles the delicate subject matter of a young woman with developmental disabilities trying to secure her independence. Newcomer Gabrielle Marion-Rivard plays the lead who deals with Williams Syndrome in real life. She’s a likable, warm-hearted individual falling in love with Martin, a fellow member of the Muses-of-Montreal, a choir for the developmentally challenged. Her world changes when his closed-minded mother, opposed to their relationship, pulls him out of the singing group, leaving Gabrielle depressed with little to look forward to except a mundane job and preparing for the choral stage debut with Quebec pop-star, Robert Charlebois. It’s at this point, she expresses a desire to live on her own, unaided, in a complete adult lifestyle.
Archambault examines Gabrielle’s sexual and emotional self discovery in a very human way. It’s very easy routing for her success to find her own place in life. Marion-Rivard’s performance is likable, touching and believable right to the end of this raw, thought-provoking piece. Not-to-mention, Mathieu Laverdiere’s immersive and detailed cinematography pulls you right into Gabrielle’s world. It dares to delve into a taboo subject matter in a way that makes you both squirm and think. (Eric Marchen)
Screens
Monday, September 9th, 5:00pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1
Wednesday, September 11th, 9:00am, Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Comments