Polytechnique

Director Denis Villeneuve
Year 2009
Run Time 77min
Genre Drama, Thriller
Based on the tragic school shooting that took place at Montreal’s École Polytechnique on December 6, 1989 (known as the “Montreal Massacre”), director Denis Villeneuve’s melancholy docudrama portrays the events as seen from the perspective of two students.

There are some tragedies so devastating they defy rational understanding. Villeneuve films in black and white, shifting back and forth in time, attempting to maintain a sane and calm point of view in the face of just such a senseless act of violence. The result is a sensitive yet stark account of one of the more profoundly disturbing crimes in recent Canadian history.

The film won nine Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture, and five Jutra Awards. The Toronto Film Critics Association awarded it the Best Canadian Film Prize, with critic Brian D. Johnson referring to it as “a film of astonishing courage.”

Director

Denis Villeneuve

Writer

Jacques Davidts

Cast

Maxim Gaudette, Sébastien Huberdeau, Karine Vanasse, Evelyne Brochu

Producers

Julien Rémillard, Maxime Rémillard, André Rouleau, Don Carmody

Genres

Drama, Thriller

Interests

History, Social Justice & Politics

Original Language

French