''Just a Game'' (french: Rien qu'un jeu) is a Canadian drama film, directed by
Brigitte Sauriol and released in 1983.
[ Jay Scott, "Incest film proves an embarrassment". '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', May 14, 1983. An examination of
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adoption ...
, the film stars
Raymond Cloutier
Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...
as André, a married father who is committing incest with his daughters, and
Marie Tifo as Mychèle, his unhappily married wife whose resentment of their daughters has led her to turn a blind eye to her husband's activities.
["Film reduces family to a lab of horrors". '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', March 20, 1984.
The film premiered at the
1983 Cannes Film Festival
The 36th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 19 May 1983. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Narayama Bushiko'' by Shōhei Imamura.
In 1983, the new building for the main events of the festival, the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, was inaug ...
,
[ and had its Canadian theatrical premiere in October 1983. The film faced some controversy in early 1984, when the Ontario Censor Board refused to permit it to be screened in Ontario unless the two scenes that most visibly depicted the incest were cut, even though Sauriol had carefully shot them to prevent them from being seen as sexually graphic.]["Festival is forced to cancel film showing". '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', March 20, 1984.
The film received three Genie Award
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for scu ...
nominations at the 5th Genie Awards
The 5th Genie Awards were presented on March 21, 1984, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.Jay Scott, "Terry Fox Story wins best picture Genie". ''The Globe and Mail'', March 22, 1984. The awards ceremony was hosted by Louis Del Grande.
Nom ...
in 1984, for Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
(Sauriol), Best Actress (Tifo) and Best Sound Editing
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow List of film awards, film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awa ...
(Marcel Pothier).["11 nominations for Chapdelaine in Genie race". '']The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', February 10, 1984.
Critical response
Writing about the film's premiere at Cannes, Jay Scott of ''The Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' called the film "stultifyingly predictable" and "psychologically simplistic", and opined that Sauriol "depends on her sincerity to mask mistakes".[ Reviewing the film during its theatrical run, his colleague ]Carole Corbeil
Carole Corbeil (1952 – 2000) was a Canadian arts critic and novelist.John Levesque, "Voice-Over a smash success". ''Hamilton Spectator'', May 9, 1992. Born in Montreal to Québécois parents, her writing was often informed by the cultural disp ...
gave it a more nuanced review, likening it to "one long bad '' For the Record''; it invents characters to advance a theme", but calling it "honest, and gritty, and this quality redeems it somewhat".[
The film was purchased by several anti-incest activist groups for use in educational campaigns.][
]
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 0086196
1983 films
Canadian drama films
Films directed by Brigitte Sauriol
Incest in film
French-language Canadian films
1980s Canadian films