''Now or Never'' (french: Aujourd'hui ou jamais) is a Canadian drama film, directed by

Jean Pierre Lefebvre Jean Pierre Lefebvre (; born 17 August 1941) is a Canadian filmmaker. He is widely admired as "the godfather of independent Canadian cinema," particularly among young, independent filmmakers. Biography Jean Pierre Lefebvre studied literature a ...

and released in 1998."Aujourd'hui ou jamais"
'' Playback'', September 7, 1998. The third and final film in a trilogy with '' Don't Let It Kill You (Il ne faut pas mourir pour ça)'' in 1967 and ''

The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died ''The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died'' (french: Le Vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort) is a 1977 French-Canadian feature from Jean Pierre Lefebvre. The second film in his Abel Gagné trilogy, preceded by '' Don't Let It Kill You (Il ne faut pas mouri ...

(Le Vieux pays où Rimbaud est mort)'' in 1977, the film updates the story of Abel Gagné (

Marcel Sabourin Marcel Sabourin, OC (born March 25, 1935) is a Canadian actor and writer from Quebec.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Sabourin, Marcel" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', October 20, 2015. He is most noted for his role as Abel Gagné, the centra ...

) in his middle age.Juliette Ruer
"Aujourd'hui ou jamais: Vol planant"
''

Voir ''Voir'' was a francophone alternative weekly newspaper in Montreal, Quebec, published by Communications Voir. ''Voir'' was founded by Pierre Paquet in November 1986. The first issue of the newspaper was published on 27 November 1986. Later on t ...

'', October 14, 1998. In the film, Abel Gagné has been working for many years as the owner of a small

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

company, but has not personally flown a plane since the death of his friend in a plane crash 15 years earlier. On the day he decides to finally fly again, however, various complications crop up to interfere with his plan, including the return of his estranged father Napoléon (

Claude Blanchard Claude Blanchard (May 19, 1932 – August 20, 2006) was a Québécois pop singer and actor. Partial filmography *'' Gina'' (1975) - Bob Sauvageau *''Mustang'' (1975) - *'' Fantastica'' (1980) - Hector *''Jesus of Montreal'' (1989) - Policeman ...

) whom he has not seen in 50 years. Lefebvre described the trilogy's themes as being about family relationships, with ''Don't Let It Kill You'' as addressing the mother, ''The Old Country Where Rimbaud Died'' as addressing ancestors, and ''Now or Never'' addressing the father. The film's cast also includes Julie Ménard as Monique, the daughter of Abel's dead friend;

Jean-Pierre Ronfard Jean-Pierre or Jean Pierre may refer to: People * Karine Jean-Pierre b.1977, White House Deputy Press Secretary for President Joe Biden 2021- * Jean-Pierre, Count of Montalivet (1766–1823), French statesman and Peer of France * Eugenia Pierre ...

as Abel's business partner; and

Micheline Lanctôt Micheline Lanctôt (born May 12, 1947) is a Canadian actress, film director, screenwriter, and musician. Biography Lanctôt was born in Frelighsburg, Quebec. Her post-secondary education was in music, fine arts, and theatre at École de musique ...

as Arlette. The film premiered in the Perspective Canada program at the

1998 Toronto International Film Festival The 23rd Toronto International Film Festival ran from September 10 to September 19, 1998. A total of 311 films were screened during the ten-day festival, commencing with the opening gala, ''The Red Violin''. Awards Programmes Gala Opening Nigh ...

. The film received a

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 ...

nomination for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

(

Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie (; born Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie on March 17, 1949) is a Canadian singer–songwriter, actor, producer, poet, and radio host, known for his song " Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He rele ...

and Claude Gauthier for "Est-ce si loin Québec") at the

19th Genie Awards The 19th Genie Awards were held on February 4, 1999 to honour Canadian films released in 1998. It marked only the second time in the 1990s, after the 16th Genie Awards in January 1996, that the awards were held in the winter of the year ''followin ...

in 1999. The film received three nominations at the

1st Jutra Awards The 1st Jutra Awards were held on March 7, 1999 to honour films made with the participation of the Quebec film industry in 1998."Red Violin makes sweet Jutra music: Wins nine awards, including best picture, best director". ''Montreal Gazette'', Mar ...

the same year, for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to th ...

(Sabourin), Best Supporting Actor (Blanchard) and Best Supporting Actress (Lanctôt). All three films in the trilogy were screened at the 2016

Festival du nouveau cinéma The Festival du nouveau cinéma or FNC (English: ''Festival of New Cinema'') is an annual independent film festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, featuring independent films from around the world. Over 160,000 people attend each year. One of ...

as a tribute program to Lefebvre.Marc-André Lussier
"Jean Pierre Lefebvre: Quand poésie et politique s'entremêlent"
'' La Presse'', October 13, 2016.

References

External links

* {{Jean Pierre Lefebvre 1998 films Canadian drama films Films set in Quebec Films shot in Quebec Films directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre Canadian aviation films French-language Canadian films 1990s Canadian films