Set in the small rural town of Val Jacob, Quebec 1935, it concerns a community rallying together in an attempt to stop a government-backed Hydro-Electric project from going forward. When an affluent family, the Cunninghams, backed by political sponsorship reaching up as far as the Quebec Premier, look to push plans of starting up an electrical venture on the outskirts of the Val Jacob dam, the town’s Postmistress, Rachel, played with a seductive magnetism by Chloe Sainte-Marie, resolves to unify the residents into a cohesive unit against them. An electrical engineer, Fernand Gautier (Nicolas Francois Riyes), determines that any escalation in the water level will most likely cause the outdated dam to give way, potentially causing a tragedy. —IMDb
Gilles Carle (July 31, 1928 – November 28, 2009) was a French Canadian director, screenwriter and painter.
Carle was born in Maniwaki, Québec. His film 50 ans, celebrating the 50 years of the National Film Board of Canada, won the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.
He joined the NFB in 1960, where his credits included La Vie heureuse de Léopold Z. But after the NFB rejected several of his projects, he began working independently.
In 1990, he was awarded the Government of Québec’s Prix Albert-Tessier. In 1998, he was made an Officer of the Ordre du Canada. In 2007, he was made a Grand Officer of the Ordre National du Québec.
Carle died aged 81 on November 28, 2009 of complications from Parkinson’s disease at an hospital in Granby, Québec. He is survived by his son and three daughters as well as his companion of 27 years, Chloé Sainte-Marie. Québec Prime Minister Jean Charest described him, at his death, as one of Québec’s most influential… read more
