Ciné-Jeudi French Film - L’ÂGE DES TENEBRES (Days of Darkness) Apr 1st

The NFB Mediatheque and its French partners offer a monthly French screening series, Ciné-Jeudi, the first Thursday of every month.  This season’s films celebrate recent classics from the Cannes Film Festival. Screenings are $6/person, with a discounted rate of $4 for students, seniors, NFB members and members of the French partner organizations (l’Alliance Française, le Bureau du Québec à Toronto, Cinéfranco, le Consulat Général de France à Toronto et le Théâtre Français de Toronto).

Next Screening:
April 1st (7:30pm)
More info?  Click on:
http://www.NFB.ca/mediatheque

Offering is a special promotion for this film – purchase two tickets to see L’ÂGE DES TÉNÈBRES on April 1st, and you will receive two FREE tickets to see the 2008 Palme d’Or winning film by Laurent Cantet, Entre les Murs (The Class), on Thursday May 6th.

The NFB Mediatheque is screening Denys Arcand’s L’ÂGE DES TÉNÈBRES, the final film in his acclaimed trilogy that also includes Les invasions barbares and Le déclin de l’empire américain, on Thursday April 1st at 7:30 PM.

Capsule Film Review:-
L’ÂGE DES TENEBRES (Canada/France 2007) **
Directed by Denys Arcand

Quebec writer/director Denis Arcand’s last of film of the trilogy, L’ÂGE DES TENEBRES (English title – DAYS OF DARKNESS) once again dissects wickedly contemporary life.  Though dwelling on this similar theme as LE DECLIN DE L’EMPIRE AMERICAIN and the Oscar Winning LES INVASIONS BARBARES, L’ÂGE DES TENEBRES stands pretty much on its own as the most satirical and nasty of the lot.  The laughter and tears are noticeably missing.

The film centres on an everyday John Doe, in this case Jean-Marc (Marc Labreche) a government employee and family guy – but unsuccessful in all fields.  He is a terrible husband, father and worker.  His wife, Sylvie (Sylvie Leonard) finally leaves him for Toronto.  But Jean-Marc copes (not too well) by speed dating, caring for his poor dying mother and fantasizing about his sexual prowess.

Arcand’s film is effective in getting the message across.  The trouble is that his satire is neither funny nor entertaining.  The set-ups are detailed and often bitingly wicked, but actor Lebreche and director Arcand do not know how to do satire as in successful films like BRAZIL or KAFKA.  The end result is a film in which the audience fails to care or relate to the protagonist and ultimately for the rather painful movie either.  Watching the film is like being tortured like Jean-Marc in the court jousting segment.  But at least he had armour to wear.