LA DONATION (THE LEGACY) (Canada 2009) **
Directed by Bernard Emond

The last of film auteur Bernard Emond’s trilogy on humanist work, LA DONATION (THE LEGACY), slow moving as it is – is actually the fastest moving of all three films. 

Following LA NEUVAINE and CONTRE TOUTE ESPERANCE, LA DONATION’s continues the theme of faith, fate and healing as the story follows a naïve young doctor, Jeanne Dion (Elise Guilbault) as she wrestles the decision to settle a practice in a small Quebec town.  She is supposedly taking over from Dr. Yves Rainville (Jacques Godin) who has served the once thriving mining town of Normetal for over 40 years.

Emond’s film is a pretty film, capturing the essence of life in a small rural town.  The landscape has its simple beauty and Emond enhances the mood with a haunting score by Robert Marcel Lepage.  Emond draws a sympathetic performance from Elise Guilbault though she broods more than a mother hen laying eggs.

The problem of the film is that Emond’s film has an atmosphere of emptiness.  He does not offer any background (family or otherwise) of Dr. Dion.  From the way the film goes, the audience is sure she will change her mind and remain in the rural town to continue the work of Dr. Rainville’s medical practice.  The script is predictable from the unruly patients at the film’s start to the patients that eventually move Dr. Dion’s heart.

Emond is fond of leaving his camera stationary and having his actors move in and out of the frame.  Tracking is minimal.  The effect is the feel of a slow-moving film though quite a few incidents occur during the short time frame.

Predictable, shallow and simple, LA DONATION fails to engage the audience to the plight of the young doctor with her decision to stay or leave Normetal.