Familia

Rating:

* * *

Verdict:

Thinking person's chick flick. 

The feature debut of an award-winning short filmmaker, this is the first French-Canadian movie in some time to play here.  Its target audience is certainly female - the male characters are at best peripheral and at worst liars or lechers - and it has none of the joie de vivre of

Heartbreak Hotel

, the best chick flick of last year. But it is nonetheless a sensitive, cleverly scripted and well-acted drama in which three generations explore the anxiety that comes with parenthood.

Michele (Moreau) is a gambling addict whose fiance pulls the financial plug. She and her teenage daughter, Marguerite (St-Sauveur) hit the road, heading for California, but only make it as far as the picture-perfect suburban home of her old friend Janine (Grenon), who has her own teenage girl (Gosselin).

Rather than bail her mate out financially, Janine, an interior designer, gives her a job and as the story unfolds, their contrasting styles - Janine is as uptight as Michele is reckless and irresponsible - bring them into conflict. Meanwhile Janine has a drama of her own brewing (I suspect the women in the audience will see this one coming a lot earlier than I did) which leads the film to a spectacular payoff and a climax worthy of Mike Leigh.

This is a movie of luminous emotional intelligence which, as the title and opening sequence suggest, is interested in whether humans are genetically programmed to be who they are or whether our nature is learnt.

Its terrific performances - the two teenagers in particular are a knockout - gently beautiful camerawork and wonderful soundtrack make it something special.

Peter Calder

Cast:

Sylvie Moreau, Macha Grenon, Mylène St-Sauveur, Juliette Gosselin, Vincent Graton, Jacques L'Heureux

Director:

Louise Archambault

Running time:

102 mins

Rating:

R16 (sex scenes, offensive language & content may disturb)

Screening:

Academy