''The Last Escape'' (french: La dernière fugue) is a
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
French-language Canadian
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
, directed by
Léa Pool
Léa Pool C.M. (born 8 September 1950) is a Swiss-Canadian filmmaker who taught film at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has directed several documentaries and feature films, many of which have won significant awards including the ...
and written by Pool and
Gil Courtemanche
Gil Courtemanche (August 18, 1943 – August 19, 2011)
based on the novel ''A Beautiful Death'' (2005). This film stars
Jacques Godin
Jacques Godin (; 14 September 1930 – 26 October 2020) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Career
He won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor at the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for his role ...
,
Andrée Lachapelle
Andrée Lachapelle, (November 13, 1931 – November 21, 2019) was a French Canadian actress. Born in Montreal, she trained at age 14 at the Studio XV theatre school under Gerard Vleminckx, later attended teacher's college and taught elementary s ...
and
Aliocha Schneider
Aliocha Schneider (; born 21 September 1993) is a Canadian actor and musician who was born in Paris, but grew up in Quebec. He is most noted for his roles in the films ''Aurelie Laflamme's Diary (Le Journal d'Aurélie Laflamme)'',Marie-Claude Gi ...
and was theatrical released at Canada on February 2, 2010.
Plot
During a family
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
dinner, the Lévesque family meets in order to spend quality time together. However, a major topic of conversation spoils the festive atmosphere: the health of the father of this family (
Jacques Godin
Jacques Godin (; 14 September 1930 – 26 October 2020) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Career
He won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor at the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for his role ...
), who is diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
. In addition, the quality of life is more than anything but fair at that time, as the family often quarrels. His eldest son André (
Aliocha Schneider
Aliocha Schneider (; born 21 September 1993) is a Canadian actor and musician who was born in Paris, but grew up in Quebec. He is most noted for his roles in the films ''Aurelie Laflamme's Diary (Le Journal d'Aurélie Laflamme)'',Marie-Claude Gi ...
) want to end his suffering by making him live his last moments in happiness. However, the rest of the family does not agree to this, believing that their father should live as long as possible. One thing is certain, is that this father and his wife (
Andrée Lachapelle
Andrée Lachapelle, (November 13, 1931 – November 21, 2019) was a French Canadian actress. Born in Montreal, she trained at age 14 at the Studio XV theatre school under Gerard Vleminckx, later attended teacher's college and taught elementary s ...
Jacques Godin
Jacques Godin (; 14 September 1930 – 26 October 2020) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Career
He won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor at the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for his role ...
as Le Père
*
Andrée Lachapelle
Andrée Lachapelle, (November 13, 1931 – November 21, 2019) was a French Canadian actress. Born in Montreal, she trained at age 14 at the Studio XV theatre school under Gerard Vleminckx, later attended teacher's college and taught elementary s ...
as La Mère
*
Aliocha Schneider
Aliocha Schneider (; born 21 September 1993) is a Canadian actor and musician who was born in Paris, but grew up in Quebec. He is most noted for his roles in the films ''Aurelie Laflamme's Diary (Le Journal d'Aurélie Laflamme)'',Marie-Claude Gi ...
as Sam
* Nicole Max as Isabelle
* Marie-France Lambert as Géraldine
* Martine Francke as Julie
* Benoît Gouin as Bernard
* Isabelle Miquelon as Mireille
* Patrick Hastert as Jean-Maurice
* Joël Delsaut as Pierre
* Noa Kate as Amandine
*
Camille Felton
Camille Felton (born October 21, 1999 in Laval, Quebec) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her role as Noémie in '' Noémie: Le Secret'', with Rita Lafontaine and Nicolas Laliberté, and for her role in ''Aurelie Laflamme's Diary (Le Journa ...
as Emma
* Mathias Urbain as Jules
* Félicien Schiltz as Xavier Jr
* Alex Kate as Louis
* Léa Rollauer as Béatrice
* Alexandre Goyette as Le Père (1968)
* Marie-Christine Labelle as La Mère (1968)
* Jules St-Jean as André (1968)
* Simone-Élise Girard as Physiotherapist
* Éliana Chrétien as Julie (1968)
* Thomas Trudel as Bernard (1968)
* Charlotte Comeau as Mireille (1968)
* Jade Charbonneau as Géraldine
Reception
Critical response
Boyd van Hoeij from Variety magazine wrote: "Though pic’s first half covers a Christmas dinner that introduces the extended, ennui-inducing Levesque clan, the unfocused narrative pivots around a single moment in the childhood of Andre (Jules St-Jean as a child, Denys Arcand regular Yves Jacques as an adult) that explains the hatred toward his now-ailing, septuagenarian dad, Anatole (Godin). But numerous flashbacks — in shaky, overexposed Super 8 — reduce a potentially complex father-son relationship to a simplistic tit-for-tat. Like Godin, Andree Lachapelle, as Anatole’s wife, is outstanding, though her character’s final actions reek more of screenplay convenience than character conviction. Violin- and piano-driven score doesn’t dare wander off the beaten path; other craft contributions also march in line."
Awards and nominations
Jutra Award
The Prix Iris is a Canadian film award, presented annually by Québec Cinéma, which recognizes talent and achievement in the mainly francophone feature film industry in Quebec.Best Actor (Meilleur Acteur) –
Jacques Godin
Jacques Godin (; 14 September 1930 – 26 October 2020) was a Canadian film, television and stage actor. He was born in Montreal, Quebec.
Career
He won the Canadian Film Award for Best Actor at the 25th Canadian Film Awards in 1973 for his role ...
Michel Arcand
Michel Arcand is a Canadian film editor.
Born in Val-d'Or, Quebec, Arcand has won three Genie Awards for Best Achievement in Editing for the films '' The Rocket'', ''Léolo'' and ''Night Zoo (Un zoo la nuit)'' and five nominations in the same c ...
Léa Pool
Léa Pool C.M. (born 8 September 1950) is a Swiss-Canadian filmmaker who taught film at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has directed several documentaries and feature films, many of which have won significant awards including the ...