Québec Contemporary Cinema • Women-filmmakers • Intimacy • Environment • Memory • Sciences • Indigenous
Synopsis
A driven but intimate work, this film recounts the history of Manicouagan (North Shore, Quebec) a legendary territory shaped by the impact of an asteroid 215 million years ago. From the St. Lawrence River to north of the 51st parallel, the legendary Route 389 brings us to the heart of this meteor crater to meet some extraordinary individuals (astrophysicists, geologists, truck-stop manager, hikers). Digging deep into their memories, the Innu of Pessamit tell of the dispossession of their ancestral lands, which were flooded by the construction of the big hydro dams, leading to the disorientation of the young people from their community. After choosing to live in the boreal forest at the feet of the Uapishka Mountains, a guide and a hermit reveal their powerful connection with nature. In this non-linear narrative with many faces, the land speaks out and questions the traces we humans leave behind us.
A word from Tënk
"It’s a very beautiful film. The various changes brought about by the hydroelectric dam created a number of opportunities. Electricity gave rise to a different way of living. I appreciated the intimate relationship the characters had with the land. Hearing them describe how the land was organized, the memories they held. The film is highly contrasted; on one side, you see people who are well settled and who love the land, and on the other, a kind of melancholy. The film reflects a certain reality present in Quebec, this duality. It’s important to see in order to fully understand this duality."
Damien Mongsi
Cameroonian, living in Quebec since 2019
