Underplayed Gems

Première vague (2021)

Première vague poster
Directed by
Rémi Fréchette
Genre
drama
Country
Canada
Runtime
1h 15m
Elsewhere
IMDb
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How it feels

Four separate Montreal residents face different struggles during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. A delivery driver balances work with caring for his sick father, while a new arrival grows worried about her roommate ignoring health rules. A sex worker sees her income vanish as her mother gets sick, and a man falls apart in isolation after losing both his job and his girlfriend.

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What happens

Première vague ("First Wave") is a Canadian dramatic anthology film, which premiered in 2021. The first feature film ever produced by Kino Montréal, a filmmaking collective which otherwise specializes in short films, the film tells four interrelated stories about life in Montreal during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The film was directed by Max Dufaud, Reda Lahmouid, Kevin T. Landry and Rémi Fréchette, with each of the directors writing and helming one of the four segments. Daniel (Fayolle Jean Jr.), a delivery driver, becomes overwhelmed with work while caring for his sick father (Fayolle Jean). Fanny (Myranda Plourde), a young woman who has just recently moved to Montreal, finds herself becoming more fearful as her roommate ignores social distancing rules. Sex worker Marianne (Marie-Sophie Roy) watches her income dry up as her mother contracts COVID-19 in a nursing home. Samuel (Mathieu Lorain Dignard) slowly unravels in isolation after both losing his job and breaking up with his girlfriend. In addition to some interconnecting plot points between the four stories, the segments are also linked by footage of premier François Legault's real-life press conferences. The film premiered on April 28, 2021 at the Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, before opening commercially on May 14. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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