Five films to discover the many faces of Québec, explore its heritage, and spark conversations — created for newcomers! Available free of charge!
Synopsis
With Antoine, filmmaker Laura Bari treats us to a sensitive portrait of a six-year-old boy, one like any other, except that he’s blind. We follow Antoine in his classes, playing with friends, skating, and visiting family. We accompany him on imaginary excursions as a detective, listen to him as a radio host, and sit shotgun as he drives his parents’ car. Antoine allows us access back into childhood since this isn’t a film about the struggles of a blind child but rather one about the real and imaginary world of childhood.
A word from Tënk
This film is part of our Welcome Films program, which offers newcomers a window into Québec’s past and present. Available to watch for free!
"Normally, when you watch a film, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end—a very concrete story. Here, it was more a presentation of the life of a young child, his daily routine, his perspective. I felt as though I myself were a child, accompanying Antoine like a friend […] There is a beautiful message behind the film: inclusion, children’s innocence, play. It makes you want not to get stuck in the worries of everyday life."
Annette Laliberté Herrera
Québéco–Costa Rican, living in Quebec since 2017
If you want to go further
- Had you ever seen a film like this before?
- How is this documentary different from the films you are used to watching?
- How does the filmmaker manage to make us experience Antoine’s world?
- Who is Madame Rouski?
- Do you have a disability?
- What do you think about Antoine’s inclusion in a regular classroom?
- How are people with disabilities treated and perceived in your country of origin?
- How did you feel after watching this film?
Points for reflection
Antoine offers us unparalleled access to the lush landscapes of childhood. Through an inventive approach to filmmaking that multiplies escapes and shifts into a fantastical universe where children embark on a curious investigation, we enter the hypersensitive world of a being who is part goblin, part child, taking us far, far away from our everyday concerns. This way of narrating reality and immersing viewers in a parallel universe can be explored with students: how does filmmaker Laura Bari succeed in drawing us into Antoine’s world?
The restless camera, the multiplication of shots, and the child-height perspective all contribute to helping us see the world differently. But it is above all through a rich and inventive soundscape that the filmmaker succeeds in making us lose our footing in the ordinary world and enter Antoine’s universe.
For two years, the young boy, who is blind, used a mini-boom microphone to capture and record the sounds of his daily life, becoming a co-creator of the film’s soundtrack. This dimension provides an opportunity to discuss the question of co-creation and the impact of becoming a documentary subject: what personal and ethical issues arise from this? What does allowing protagonists to participate in the creative process add to a work? What responsibilities do filmmakers have toward their subjects, especially when those subjects live with a disability or a situation that makes them more vulnerable?
The film also provides an opportunity to reflect on issues surrounding ableism. Young Antoine is integrated into a mainstream classroom despite his blindness, and the extraordinary relationship he develops with his classmates and the school staff demonstrates the importance of this kind of inclusion for everyone. Society always benefits from welcoming difference rather than restraining or isolating it. This discussion also provides an opportunity to explore the different ways disabilities are understood and perceived across cultures.
