Growing up is never easy, and for René, a shy, impressionable lad on the verge of puberty, it's downright painful. Catching a glimpse of his parents making love after being woken up by the strange noises emanating from their bedroom, René becomes terrified of sex when his father is discovered dead in bed the next morning.
Driven by financial necessity, Reine, his mother, takes up waitressing and, being an attractive woman with a fine line in wigs, has no problem in finding men to console her. René, jealous and possessive, finds it difficult to cope, especially when she starts seeing Roch, a labourer in his early thirties. Enter Françoise, who rents the apartment upstairs. When René discovers her one afternoon having sex with his mother's lover, he feels betrayed at first. Then, in time, the voyeuristic experience forces him to grow up, something he has refused to do since his father's death.
Welcome to Pierre Gang's semi-autobiographical Sous-sol (Not Me!), unspooling tonight in Critics' Week for its world premiere. The author of two shorts, Martha l'immortelle and J'te demande pas le ciel!, which were invited to the Turin/Troïa and Mannheim Film Festivals respectively, Gang makes his feature debut in a Max Films production. Made with the participation of Telefilm Canada, SODEC (Société de Développement des Enterprises Culturelles) and the Goverment of Quebec via a tax credit programme, Roger Frappier produces, with the five-time Genie award-winning lensman Pierre Mignot (a collaborator of Kansas City director Robert Altman on Prêt-à-porter) behind the camera.
The film stars the multi-talented Louise Portal, who received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Gigi in Clément Perron's Taureau. A thespian, cabaret artiste, singer and writer, she won the BCP du Saguenay literary prize in 1991 for Jeanne Janvier. With Isabelle Pasco, Patrice Godin and Daniel Gadouas rounding out the cast, Sous-sol introduces Richard Moffat as René. Moffat is a fine young talent who was only encouraged to go to the auditions for the part by his mother to help him overcome his shyness.
Tim Avis
Prod Co: Max Films
Prod: Roger Frappier
Dir: Pierre Gang
Scr: Andrée Major
Ph: Pierre Mignot
Prod des: François Laplante
Cos: Suzanne Harel
Music: Anna Bourne, Hans Peter Strobl
Editor: Florence Moureaux, Yves Chaput
Cast: Louise Portal, Isabelle Pasco, Patrice Godin, Daniel Gadouas, Richard Moffat
Running time: 90mins
International sales: Film Tonic International
