Crying Out (French: À l'origine d'un cri) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Robin Aubert and released in 2010.[1] The film centres on a grief-stricken widower (Michel Barrette) who unexpectedly digs up his dead wife's corpse and runs off with it, forcing his father (Jean Lapointe) and son (Patrick Hivon) to set off in an attempt to find him before he gets arrested or commits suicide.[2]

Crying Out
Film poster
FrenchÀ l'origine d'un cri
Directed byRobin Aubert
Written byRobin Aubert
Produced byRoger Frappier
Luc Vandal
StarringMichel Barrette
Patrick Hivon
Jean Lapointe
CinematographySteve Asselin
Edited byCarina Baccanale
Production
company
Max Films Productions
Release date
  • September 10, 2010 (2010-09-10) (TIFF)
Running time
115 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

The film's cast also includes Alexis Martin, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Charlotte Laurier, Micheline Bernard and Bénédicte Décary.

The film was shot in the spring and summer of 2009, in Vaudreuil and the Côte-Nord region of Quebec.[3]

The film premiered on September 10, 2010, at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] before going into commercial release on September 24.[1]

Critical response

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Brendan Kelly of the Montreal Gazette wrote that "Aubert delivers some striking images along the way, including many of the province's seedier roadside motels. But a lot of this doesn't work, most notably the device of continually showing a gang of ghostlike figures that appear to be following Barrette's character around. There's more dysfunction here than you can shake a stick at, but for those of us who've seen more than our fair share of angst-ridden Canadian flicks, there's a sense of deja-vu all over again to this. The best thing here is the three actors. Barrette, best-known for light comic roles, is totally convincing as this heartbroken man, and Hivon is also good as a guy bent on self-destruction. But the standout is Lapointe, who is just wonderful as the grizzled old codger who has no patience with his neurotic son and grandson."[5]

Awards

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Lapointe won the Jutra Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 13th Jutra Awards, and the film was nominated for Best Screenplay (Aubert) and Best Editing (Carina Baccanale).[6] Although Aubert did not receive a nomination for Best Director, winner Denis Villeneuve asserted in his acceptance speech that Aubert should have been the winner.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Charles-Henri Ramond, "A l’origine d’un cri – Film de Robin Aubert". Films du Québec, August 24, 2010.
  2. ^ Denis Séguin, "Max Films rolls on Aubert’s A L’Origine D’Un Cri". Screen Daily, June 3, 2009.
  3. ^ "En bref - Tournage d'À l'origine d'un cri". Le Devoir, June 3, 2009.
  4. ^ Jason MacNeil, "Toronto festival to feature string of world premieres". London Free Press, August 11, 2010.
  5. ^ Brendan Kelly, "Jean Lapointe slaps life into a dysfunctional family". Montreal Gazette, September 24, 2010.
  6. ^ a b Mélanie Marquis, "«Incendies» rafle tout sur son passage à la 13e soirée des Jutra". Canadian Press, March 13, 2011.
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