Babine is a Canadian fantasy drama film, directed by Luc Picard and released in 2008.[1] Adapted from Fred Pellerin's book Il faut prendre le taureau par les contes, the film stars Vincent-Guillaume Otis as Babine, the village idiot of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton, Quebec.[2] A lifelong outcast because his mother (Isabel Richer) was believed to be the town witch, he becomes the immediate suspect when the town's church catches fire, killing the parish priest (Julien Poulin).[3] However, he will receive the support of the village's merchant, Toussaint Brodeur (Luc Picard), as he attempts to prove his innocence.
| Babine | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Luc Picard |
| Written by | |
| Starring | Vincent-Guillaume Otis Isabel Richer Alexis Martin Julien Poulin Gildor Roy |
| Narrated by | Fred Pellerin |
| Cinematography | Jérôme Sabourin |
| Edited by | Gaétan Huot |
| Music by | Normand Corbeil Serge Fiori |
Production company | Cité-Amérique |
| Distributed by | Alliance Vivafilm |
Release date | November 28, 2008 |
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
| Budget | CAD $6,5M |
The film's cast also includes Alexis Martin, Gildor Roy, Marie Brassard and Antoine Bertrand.
A sequel film, Ésimésac, was released in 2012.
Cast edit
- Vincent-Guillaume Otis: Babine, the Witch's son
- Luc Picard: Toussaint Brodeur
- Alexis Martin: New Priest
- Isabel Richer: The Witch
- Marie-Chantal Perron: Jeanette Brodeur
- Julien Poulin: Old Priest
- Maude Laurendeau: Lurette Riopel
- René Richard Cyr: Méo Bellemare
- Fred Pellerin: Narrator
- Antoine Bertrand: Ti-Toine
- Marie Brassard: Mrs. Gélinas
- Gildor Roy: Blacksmith Riopel
- Maxime Le Flaguais: Dièse
Reviews edit
Babine received generally favourable reviews by the critics.[4] It also received similar ratings from Rotten Tomatoes, with a 69% approval rating, and an average rating of 3.7 out of 5.[5] Overall, the movie was quite successful, collecting $2.8 million at the Quebec box office.[6]
Accolades edit
The film received many awards and nominations, including two Genie Award nominations at the 30th Genie Awards in 2009: Best Supporting Actress (Richer) and Best Sound Editing (Olivier Calvert, Natalie Fleurant, Francine Poirier and Lise Wedlock).
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients and Nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Directors Guild of Canada | Production Design - Feature | Nicolas Lepage | Nominated |
| Genie Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Isabel Richer | Nominated |
| Best Sound Editing | Olivier Calvert Natalie Fleurant Francine Poirier Lise Wedlock |
Nominated | |
| Jutra Awards | Best Art Direction | Nicolas Lepage | Won |
| Best Costume Design | Carmen Alie | Won | |
| Best Makeup | Kathryn Casault | Won | |
| Best Music | Normand Corbeil Serge Fiori |
Won | |
| Best Sound | Dominique Chartrand Olivier Calvert Louis Gignac Gavin Fernandes |
Won | |
| Best Actor | Vincent-Guillaume Otis | Nominated | |
| Best Hairstyling | Denis Parent | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay | Fred Pellerin | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Luc Picard | Nominated |
References edit
- ^ "Babine: la belle histoire d'un pays d'en haut" Archived 2017-08-10 at the Wayback Machine. Le Soleil, November 22, 2008.
- ^ "Babine,ou l'ode à la folie". Le Devoir, October 4, 2007.
- ^ "Babine – Film de Luc Picard". Films du Québec, January 1, 2009.
- ^ "Nouveauté québécoise : Babine: Conte fantastique | Cinéma | Radio-Canada.ca". Archived from the original on 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
- ^ "Babine". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Demers, Maxime. "Magie à Saint-Élie". Journaldemontreal.com. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
