No weddings and a funeral

>> Mariages is a sombre look at turn-of-the-century morality

by JASON BOGDANERIS

The repression associated with the Catholic Church still provides rich fodder for Quebec filmmakers. Mariages is set in a remote village during the stifling Victorian era and there's an almost funerary sombreness to the film. It portrays a world where self-expression is so stilted, the dead often have more to say than the living.

Yvonne (Marie-Ève Bertrand) is a 20-year-old girl doing all she can to quietly rebel against her repressive surroundings. Since the death of her mother, she has been put in the care of a controlling aunt (Hélène Loiselle) who discourages any displays of emotion or individuality. The young girl seeks refuge in nature, by walking through the empty woods or skinny-dipping in the local creek.

When the body of Yvonne's mother is exhumed, it's so remarkably well preserved that the locals assume she must be a saint. From that point on a subplot involving a spooky dream her mother once recounted becomes increasingly prominent. Yvonne is convinced it holds the key to her happiness, but back in the real world time is running out. Once summer ends she's taking a one-way trip to the nunnery.

Director Catherine Martin manages to create a powerful atmosphere of joylessness and grief through grim cinematography and superb performances. Hélène Loiselle is especially convincing as the aunt, suggesting a complex woman who is as much a victim of the era's hypocritical morality as she is an apologist for it.

Despite all it has going for it however, the film just isn't very enjoyable to watch. Any empathy we feel for Yvonne is undercut by the remoteness of the film's tone. There is an almost complete lack of humour in the story's telling, which, combined with the claustrophobic setting, makes the whole thing hard to warm up to. Recently awarded two prizes at the Montreal World Film Festival, it's clearly a hit with juries. Whether audiences will agree is another matter.

Mariages opens Friday, Sept. 28