La Brunante

One of the strongest films I've seen recently is Fernand Dansereau's La Brunante, a touching examination of an elderly Québecois woman's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. After discovering she has Alzheimer’s, the volatile Madeleine (Monique Mercure) decides to tour Québec one last time, visiting friends and family while contemplating suicide. In order to embark, she requires a driver, and fate provides her with Zoé (Suzanne Clément), a proud 32-year old down on her luck musician. The two travel throughout Montréal, Québec, and the Gaspé, entertaining each other's tempers and eccentricities. A tenacious dynamic is forged, and its shenanigans fuel La Brunante with an elegant, visceral, mischievousness, both hard-boiled and romantic, that critically and effectively examines the concept of Age. Just what is an epiphyte?, how does one procure cheap expensive wine?, how closely aligned are the concepts memory and identity? La Brunante explores these questions with subtle wit and jaunty resplendency, expertly illuminating the mysteries of life.