(This is the second half of my essay. Please read the first part before this if you haven't done so already)
It seems the age of the characters affects their relationship with religion. Take the oldest son for example. He is the only one of the children seen attending Church. However, the connection is given further weight by the son's work. All three, the mother, the father, and the Church going son are seen at work. Each workplace is startlingly similar. Empty halls with sunlight shining through at one end are a trademark of each location. All three characters walk trough the hallways in the same fashion, looking in each doorway, closing the doors, and making sure they are locked. For the eldest son, it is this unconscious similarity with his parents that represents his ties to the past. In an early, documentary like scene, we see a series of brief interviews with very young orphans who live in the orphanage where the mother works. They are asked if they remember their parents, but none of the children are able to recall them. Leduc suggests that with each new generation we become less and less dependent on history. However, the ghosts of the past are ever present.
Formally, this connection with the past is represented in many ways. Right after the introduction, we are shown a two-minute montage sequence that serves as almost a thematic trailer for the film. Leduc presents many quick glimpses of Montreal life. We see old men on a park bench, people skating, people swimming. We see every season represented. We see crowded streets and buildings. What we notice however is that Leduc inter-cuts filmic images from both the Montreal of 1970 and the Montreal of the early half of the twentieth century. An image of a man in a park from 1970 will be followed by skaters from what looks like the 1910's. Immediately after the skaters, we see swimmers from 1970, but then we get a horse and carriage from the 1930's. It's quite clear what Leduc's point is with this opening sequence.
The Quebec of bygone years is still very much a part of today's Quebec. As if to emphasize the point, on the soundtrack we hear contemporary 70's music, so that even the images from the 10's, 20's, and 30's are accompanied by wah-wah guitar. Later in the film, this funky Seventies music pops up again to connect us with the past. Over a long tracking shot of ancient alumni photos on the walls of the university, we hear catchy music. It's as if Leduc is saying that the people in these photos are still alive, but in ways we cannot see.
The theme of melancholy and loss in "On est loin du soleil" is as important as the theme of Quebec's connection to the past. The ghosts of the past are still very much an important part of Quebec. However, the melancholy comes not from a loss of the past since, A: the past is still an important part of the lives of the characters, and B: the fact that the authority of the Church has declined gives Quebec the chance to catch up with the rest of Canada. No, the sense of melancholy comes from a loss of a discernable future. For the first time in several years, Quebec in 1970 was at a point where it did not know what was to happen next. This of course, was in many ways a good thing, but there was still that overwhelming sense of uncertainty. Even before the death of the daughter at the end of the film, each member of the family behaves in a somber manner, as if they had already lost something. The death of the daughter actually unites the family for at least a brief moment. Although, they have lost an important part of their lives, they must still go on, there is still hope, the film seems to be saying.
Leduc further expresses the somber theme of melancholy through the use of long takes. This helps slow the film down to an almost meditative pace. A seventy-nine-minute film then seems much longer, and we feel much more affected by what we see. The long takes also help establish a more realistic sense of what the characters go through every day. That could be a sense of boredom, as when the youngest brother rides the bus to the employment agency in an unbroken two-minute take. The long takes can also suggest the importance of certain events as well, such as the scene where the oldest son prays in church. The shot is over three minutes in duration, and the lack of camera movement gives the scene a stoic quality.
"On est loin du soleil" is a film that demands repeated viewing. It is a complex film that expresses its themes in very subtle, but strong ways. It is hoped that this essay can shed some light on this film that has been so ignored for many years by the very province it so accurately portrays the soul of. Of course, Leduc was right. With each new generation we do lose a bit of our past. But it is films like "On est loin du soleil" that will help us make sure we never forget it.
It seems the age of the characters affects their relationship with religion. Take the oldest son for example. He is the only one of the children seen attending Church. However, the connection is given further weight by the son's work. All three, the mother, the father, and the Church going son are seen at work. Each workplace is startlingly similar. Empty halls with sunlight shining through at one end are a trademark of each location. All three characters walk trough the hallways in the same fashion, looking in each doorway, closing the doors, and making sure they are locked. For the eldest son, it is this unconscious similarity with his parents that represents his ties to the past. In an early, documentary like scene, we see a series of brief interviews with very young orphans who live in the orphanage where the mother works. They are asked if they remember their parents, but none of the children are able to recall them. Leduc suggests that with each new generation we become less and less dependent on history. However, the ghosts of the past are ever present.
Formally, this connection with the past is represented in many ways. Right after the introduction, we are shown a two-minute montage sequence that serves as almost a thematic trailer for the film. Leduc presents many quick glimpses of Montreal life. We see old men on a park bench, people skating, people swimming. We see every season represented. We see crowded streets and buildings. What we notice however is that Leduc inter-cuts filmic images from both the Montreal of 1970 and the Montreal of the early half of the twentieth century. An image of a man in a park from 1970 will be followed by skaters from what looks like the 1910's. Immediately after the skaters, we see swimmers from 1970, but then we get a horse and carriage from the 1930's. It's quite clear what Leduc's point is with this opening sequence.
The Quebec of bygone years is still very much a part of today's Quebec. As if to emphasize the point, on the soundtrack we hear contemporary 70's music, so that even the images from the 10's, 20's, and 30's are accompanied by wah-wah guitar. Later in the film, this funky Seventies music pops up again to connect us with the past. Over a long tracking shot of ancient alumni photos on the walls of the university, we hear catchy music. It's as if Leduc is saying that the people in these photos are still alive, but in ways we cannot see.
The theme of melancholy and loss in "On est loin du soleil" is as important as the theme of Quebec's connection to the past. The ghosts of the past are still very much an important part of Quebec. However, the melancholy comes not from a loss of the past since, A: the past is still an important part of the lives of the characters, and B: the fact that the authority of the Church has declined gives Quebec the chance to catch up with the rest of Canada. No, the sense of melancholy comes from a loss of a discernable future. For the first time in several years, Quebec in 1970 was at a point where it did not know what was to happen next. This of course, was in many ways a good thing, but there was still that overwhelming sense of uncertainty. Even before the death of the daughter at the end of the film, each member of the family behaves in a somber manner, as if they had already lost something. The death of the daughter actually unites the family for at least a brief moment. Although, they have lost an important part of their lives, they must still go on, there is still hope, the film seems to be saying.
Leduc further expresses the somber theme of melancholy through the use of long takes. This helps slow the film down to an almost meditative pace. A seventy-nine-minute film then seems much longer, and we feel much more affected by what we see. The long takes also help establish a more realistic sense of what the characters go through every day. That could be a sense of boredom, as when the youngest brother rides the bus to the employment agency in an unbroken two-minute take. The long takes can also suggest the importance of certain events as well, such as the scene where the oldest son prays in church. The shot is over three minutes in duration, and the lack of camera movement gives the scene a stoic quality.
"On est loin du soleil" is a film that demands repeated viewing. It is a complex film that expresses its themes in very subtle, but strong ways. It is hoped that this essay can shed some light on this film that has been so ignored for many years by the very province it so accurately portrays the soul of. Of course, Leduc was right. With each new generation we do lose a bit of our past. But it is films like "On est loin du soleil" that will help us make sure we never forget it.
