Trois temps après la mort d'Anna (Mourning for Anna)

• Director: Catherine Martin
• Writer: Catherine Martin
• Cast: Guylaine Tremblay, François Papineau
• Theatrical Release Date: August 13, 2010
• On The Web IMDB Entry

Synopsis: "Trois temps aprè s la mort d’Anna" is an elegant and haunting film about one of the most shattering losses imaginable: the death of one’s child. Anna is a vibrant young woman and a gifted violinist. In the film’s opening scene, she performs a complex Beethoven concerto while her adoring mother Françoise (Guylaine Tremblay) looks on. What happens next is devastating.

Accomplished Québécoise director Catherine Martin leads the viewer swiftly into the heart of the film, examining Françoise’s struggle to deal with the violent death of her only daughter amid the serene winter landscape of rural Quebec. A grieving Françoise leaves Montreal and takes refuge at the country home of her maternal ancestors in Kamouraska. Here, she gives up on life, falling asleep in the snow-blanketed forest, certain to die. By pure chance, she is discovered by Édouard (François Papineau), a neighbor and friend from adolescence who tenderly labors to revive Françoise’s desire to live.

Structured as a sequence of tableaux, "Trois temps" is thoughtfully conceived and carefully composed, with each image inviting the viewer to contemplate its meticulously assembled details. The effect is tactile and draws the viewer into Françoise’s grief as she surrounds herself with the familiarity of nature and simple reminders of Anna. Creating a spirit of interminable maternal strength around Françoise are elegiac scenes of her being comforted by the deceased – her grandmother, mother and daughter – who impart wisdom and disclose family secrets.

The original French title reveals much about the film. Inspired by a musical metaphor, the film is loosely organized into “trois temps,” or three movements: Françoise’s grief and interior world; life and lineage broken by death; and finally, the hope of what might happen between Françoise and Édouard. Contemplative, understated and strikingly photographed, "Trois temps après la mort d’Anna" is an affecting cinematic portrait by one of Canada’s finest filmmakers. [Synopsis by Agata Smoluch Del Sorbo/Toronto International Film Festival]