Polytechnique

The murder, by a disturbed young gunman, of 14 women at Montreal’s École Polytechnique in 1989 remains one of the most shocking and sorrowful events in recent Canadian history. Any dramatization of the massacre, which came to symbolize larger issues of misogyny and violence against women, was bound to be contentious, but filmmaker Denis Villeneuve ultimately won wide acclaim (and the assent of the victims’ family) for his serious, searching, and purposefully stylized treatment of the subject in Polytechnique. Reminiscent of Elephant, Gus Van Sant’s dramatization of the Columbine shootings, Villeneuve’s film (shot in both English and French versions) employs formalism as a distancing device and makes use of fictionalized (or composite) characters. “Outstanding . . . A powerful and moving feature. In a respectful manner, Denis Villeneuve unveils a terrifying event of our past . . . He takes a profound and compassionate look at the women who were victimized by this violence. The actors’ performances are breathtakingly truthful . . . It is the strongest Quebec film since Les Ordres by Michel Brault” (Nicole Robert). “Raw, real and devastating . . . Never resorting to cheap sensationalism, and emerging as a transcendent historical document” (Bruce Kirkland, Toronto Sun). B&W, 35mm. 76 mins.