Director: Michel Welterlin
Described by Le Monde as “a contemporary ‘Roman Noir’ painted with the colors of Quebec,” this Canadian crime drama starts out with a marital fight that ends in a crime of passion with our heroine Lucie’s husband Antoine dead. Once the first crime is committed, shockingly and quickly, a series of lies and deceptions follow as Lucie uncovers that the publishing house her husband ran was really a front for an Italian organized crime family and money laundering schemes. Unfortunately for Lucie, when Antoine died, a bag of money disappeared as well and for the rest of the film she finds herself caught up in their world of gangsters and double crosses. The brief film is tense and satisfying, however we long for more insight into the character of Lucie, as she’s our link and guide through the maze of the criminal underworld. It’s a bit improbable that more than one gangster would become bewitched by Lucie so there’s a certain amount of disbelief we must suspend as the film rushes along towards its final showdown, which, as in the Hong Kong films of John Woo, ends with guns being drawn from all directions and with numerous sub-groups. Still, very worthwhile-- how often do you see a mob movie from Canada with French subtitles?
