Synopsis
While travelling the roads of the Québec countryside, one often sees off-beat structures and fabulous installations. These curious constructions are the work of local people who, even with no artistic training, are compelled by an almost-visceral desire to create. This film shows us the work and everyday life of three such artists. Harshly judged by their compatriots, they face the devastating reality of living on the fringe of a society that seeks to ostracize them at all cost.
A word from Tënk
This film is an infinitely sweet breath of fresh air. As is often the case with documentaries, we are given the chance to meet people whose work is little-known. This trip to the Bas-du-Fleuve finally shows the invisible hands behind some outrageous and outsized creations. The camera follows this invented world with grace and respect, a colourful circus that has taken shape over the years. Without judgement, it explores a terrain dotted with the inventions of three men who, despite their lack of formal education, are driven by an indefinable passion for creation and who do so non-stop, much to the chagrin of their loved ones who are left with no choice but to accept it. We hear from their wives, who’ve had to adapt to their husbands’ mania and the ire of their neighbours. This stationary voyage has a lot to teach us. It’s not just bike wheels and flags blowing in the wind; each of the film’s subjects is trying to find their equilibrium between excess, threats of eviction, fatigue or admiration. Each blazes his own path to the land of outsider art. With its eloquent silence and a strong penchant for beauty, the film allows us to come to see the strange as familiar. Sensitivity successfully overcomes prejudice to create a welcoming and delicate film that serves as an elegy to freedom. What a rare thing.
Jennifer Alleyn
Filmmaker
Presented in collaboration with
