Gourmet goldmine

Local director Kim Nguyen’s science-fiction/
horror flick Truffe is a boldly original vision

by MALCOLM FRASER

As original a vision as you’re likely to see coming from these parts, Kim Nguyen’s Truffe is a black-and-white science fiction/horror thriller set in a futuristic Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. In a bold leap of logic, global warming has led to a proliferation of gourmet truffles growing in the soil of the east-end neighbourhood, causing an economic boom and putting the area on the international map.

Roy Dupuis stars as Charles, who hunts truffles with his expert nose in a backyard mine shaft. So many have grown that supply has outstripped demand, and his wife Alice (Céline Bonnier) puts them in the poutine at her diner. But unbeknownst to them, a nefarious corporation has its sights on using Dupuis’s nose for their own benefit. A creepy CEO (Michèle Richard) and her lieutenant (Jean-Nicolas Verreault) deploy their secret weapon, a fur stole programmed to survey and attack its owner.

To reveal more of the rather minimal plot would spoil the film’s delights. Suffice it to say that it recalls both the grandiose dystopian vision of Brazil and the lo-fi, squeamish terror of Eraserhead, mixing a surreal sense of humour with an undercurrent of social criticism, and an aesthetic that shows a savvy knowledge of genre techniques without tipping over into mere pastiche.

Nguyen is also blessed with two remarkable leading actors. Dupuis seems to be one of those actors who’s compelled to work constantly, for which we should be grateful, as he’s every bit as comfortable in Nguyen’s weird universe as he is playing icons like Rocket Richard and Roméo Dallaire. The equally versatile Bonnier is almost unrecognizable from her recent role in Léa Pool’s Maman est chez le coiffeur; here, she exudes film-noir sexiness and gamely plunges into a number of bizarre action sequences.

An inspiring example of a low budget put to inventive use, Truffe is beautifully shot and full of memorably strange imagery. The only problem is the kitschy jazz soundtrack, which was undoubtedly intended as an ironic counterpart to the dark atmosphere, but instead creates an unbalanced and sometimes uncomfortable contrast.

But ultimately, it’s a small hitch in a boldly unique experiment. Nguyen has a truly original imagination, and this leaves you eagerly anticipating what he’ll come up with next.

Truffe opens this Friday, Aug. 22

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