MOVIES AT LA PLAZA: TESTAMENT—Denys Arcand, irreverent, incisive, and brilliant

Movie Review by Sergio Martinez

Denys Arcand's most recent film reaffirms him as an irreverent, incisive, and brilliant filmmaker. Testament satirically takes on the excesses of political correctness, the imposture of those young Anglophones who embrace other people's causes and of those intellectuals who pose as rebels, health freaks, bureaucrats, the mediocre Quebec political class and the old nostalgic Quebec nationalists. As if that were not enough, it also offers us a gentle vision of ageing and the importance of love, no matter what age.

Jean-Michel Bouchard (Rémy Girard) is 70 years old, living in a retirement home appropriately named Maison Parizeau-Duplessis, but still active as a civil servant at the National Archives.  At this point in his life, however, he is just waiting for the natural course of things to lead to his death, which he hopes will be quiet and probably unnoticed by anyone. He has a somewhat cynical attitude to existence, both his own and that of others.

Sophie Lorain as Suzanne, and Rémy Girard as Jean-Michel 
in Testament, the most recent film by Quebec director Denys Arcand

For her part, Suzanne (Sophie Lorain) is the director of the establishment and tries to run it as efficiently as possible and follow official directives to the letter. Basically, life at the nursing home goes on in an expected and uneventful routine.

However, the tranquillity and predictability of the residence will suffer a serious disruption when a group of activists learns that a mural adorning the main room contains images, they consider offensive to First Nations. The mural depicts the encounter between French explorer Jacques Cartier and a group of indigenous people. The leader of the young activists —all English-speaking— remarks that the Europeans are carrying guns and that one of the indigenous women has her breasts bared, which, in the young protester's opinion, "makes her a sexual object." The impact of the "offensive" mural will grow due to the media exposure it gets, forcing the intervention of the minister in charge of the case, who is questioned in the Quebec legislature. Through the bureaucrat on duty, she will force Suzanne to take a radical measure, which she will eventually come to regret.

The hitherto indifferent Jean-Michel, for his part, will gradually become involved in the case. He had previously attended a prize-giving ceremony for Quebec writers where he had been awarded one, but it was not clear to him why. The occasion in any case serves the filmmaker to ridicule much of the fashion of a literature that is supposed to be groundbreaking in form and content. In much of it, there is an attitude of posturing. A hilarious moment is offered by the poet who presents the title of her work: "The vagina on fire”.

The controversial painting

When the problem of the offensive mural is finally solved, following the directives of the Minister of Social Services herself, on whom the nursing homes depend, a new problem will arise in which Suzanne, the director of the establishment, will end up paying the price. New demonstrators, this time the nationalists in defence of Quebec's "artistic heritage", will come to the fore.

For his part, Jean-Michel, from his loneliness, can also understand the loneliness of others, including that of Suzanne, who has not seen her only daughter for years. This will lead him to change some of his convictions.

Testament aims at many targets
in an ironic way

Testament is a film that captivates the viewer from the first moment, especially those of us who like irony as the most subtle and elegant way to express our critical view of society. Remarkable performances by Girard and Sophie Lorain, complemented by an intimate cinematography that helps to enter the feelings of the characters make it a film that we highly recommend.

Running Time: 1 h 55 min.

In the Montreal region, it is shown at Quartier Latin, Forum (with English subtitles), Beaubien, StarCité, Carrefour Angrignon, Mega-Plex Marché Central, Mega-Plex Taschereau, Mega-Plex Jacques Cartier, Mega-Plex Sphèretech, Mega-Plex Lacordaire, Cineplex Odeon Brossard, Mega-Plex Pont Viau, Cineplex Odeon St-Bruno, Cineplex Laval, Carnaval, Mega-Plex Terrebonne, Cinéma Triomphe, Cinéma St-Eustache, Mega-Plex Deux Montagnes, Mega-Plex-S-Jean, Cinéma Beloil, Capitol St-Jean and Cineplex Odeon Carrefour Dorion.