Monday, May 7, 2012

The Salesman (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)
The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)
Best New Film
Genre: Drama
Director: Sébastien Pilote
Starring: Gilbert Sicotte, Jean-François Boudreau, Nathalie Cavezzali
Language: French
Duration: 107 min.
Rating: 8.1
Summary:
The perennial car salesman of the month, Marcel Lévesque takes great satisfaction in the ritual of persuasion. But in the small working-class town where the local paper mill's impending closure is immobilizing the economy, Marcel must come to terms with the changing times.
The Salesman is the feature debut from writer director Sébastien Pilote. It premiered in the World Cinema Competition section of the 2011 Sundance International Film Festival.

A slow moving but immensely affecting character study about a man who has dedicated his entire life to perfecting the skills of his work. Marcel Lévesque (Gilbert Sicotte, in easily one of the top ten performances of 2011) is a car salesman, and a very good one. As the film begins, life appears good for Marcel, he's the top performer at his small-town dealership, where he has consistently been awarded the salesman-of-the-month trophy for as long as anyone can remember. He's also dedicated and friendly, well liked at work and in the community, and he has a close relationship with his loving daughter (Nathalie Cavezzali) and grand-son. However, this one seemingly endless Northern Quebec winter, Marcel is forced to face some difficult circumstances that are far beyond his control.

Right from the start, Pilote paints a vivid scene, capturing in perfect detail the sights and sounds of the long Canadian winter. A setting which I'm remarkably familiar with, even though I speak a different language and live 5,000 km away (to put into perspective, that's a distance further than Paris to Baghdad), the experience is the same. With the help of cinematographer Michel La Veaux, Pilote crafts some of the most evocative and immersive images I have ever seen in a Canadian film. The icy landscapes, snow covered vehicles, heavy machinery, and even a dead moose on the side of the highway are all expertly framed and composed with a sensibility not often seen this side of the Atlantic.

At the heart of this film is Gilbert Sicotte's exceptional performance. A veteran actor I know little about, but here he delivers a complex and carefully nuanced portrayal, nailing every little character quirk and always carrying an outward aura of confident charm. This is a guy for whom selling is not only a job but a way of life. At 67, he shrugs off any suggestion of retirement, and he still carries a pocket recorder so that he can learn from his mistakes, leaving it on even while spending time with his family. Even though the town's last big employer, the local paper mill, has now been shuttered for several months, and the entire community is starting to become visibly affected, Marcel carries on with the singular goal of clearing the lot in time for next year's models.

The screenplay is also quite strong overall, dealing with some heavy issues (religion, consumerism, the global economy) and handling them all with a neutral perspective; and although the story is centered on Marcel, the director takes the time to present a full and intimate portrait of the lifestyle and culture in the town where the film takes place, from the main street to the hockey rink to the community hall to the gates of the paper mill where the locked out workers huddle. All of the little pieces of this corner of the world are neatly crafted and also all very real. The only miscue is one critical plot development is telegraphed well in advance, and while it remains incredibly powerful, I think it was a bit too obvious to see where things were headed.

I don't know what it is, but there is a massive amount of great new talent coming out of Quebec lately. Add Sébastien Pilote to the growing list of young directors from there to keep your eyes on. For this is a marvelous debut that may not be the most crowd pleasing, star studded, or stylish, but it is certainly the most powerful Canadian film of the past year.
Bonjour Tristesse
The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

The Salesman • Le vendeur (2011)

21 comments:

d_4 said...

It just looks so.. depressing. I'll keep an eye out for it, but I don't know how much I want to see it. It could go either way for me.

Lisa Thatcher said...

This looks great! I agree with you - how exciting is Canada at the moment? Great review BT. I love it when a film rocks you.

The Reel Foto said...

So...any lighthearted movies coming soon?

The Warning Sign said...

Great review, BT. Hadn't heard of this one, but it sounds like something I would enjoy. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yes don't worry there will be some happier stuff soon I swear.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks Lisa, I love it too, it's so much easier for me to write about an amazing film. I think the thing with Canada is most of our English speaking talent always end up getting stolen by the US. So it's left to Quebec to hold the torch for us. And for a long time their films only had local appeal, but in recent years this has changed. Lucky for us all.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Cool. If you do get the chance to see it I'd love to hear what you think.

Lisa Thatcher said...

Very lucky!
You're Canadian? (I think I knew that but forgot)
That explains the quality of your blog!
I love the interest in foreign film that seems to be the norm these days. God bless the internet and translators!

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Haha, thanks. I come from a diverse background so I've always been interested in foreign films, but it's still far from the norm, sadly I know plenty of people who will balk at watching anything with subtitles. Fortunately I have you and the rest of this great blog community to share my passion for international films with.

FilmMasterT said...

This looks fairly interesting. Good review with lavish images.

stevens1 said...

This has been on my list for a while, sitting down with it tonight, sounds good. French Canada has been knocking out some great films recently.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Great! I don't know very many who have seen it, so I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks again FilmMasterT.

stevens1 said...

Very good. A little too heavy handed with the additional angle with that customer; it was a further nail to push him back into his box of being 'just a salesman'. great central performance, warm and assured. will do a write up myself later in the week.

FilmMasterT said...

Do you know how long it takes for Disqus to 'invite' you to use the new style for the comments box? It's been 2 days so far with me.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Glad you enjoyed it too. Feel free to post a link to your own review here.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I'm not sure. I just got an email one day asking me to help test it out.

stevens1 said...

http://filmscope.net/2012/06/film-review-the-salesman-2011/ let me know your thoughts.

stevens1 said...

http://filmscope.net/2012/06/film-review-the-salesman-2011/ let me know your thoughts.

Sam Fragoso said...

Hey, where do you obtain these stunning photos Bonjour?

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Everywhere... By order of preference, from Blu-Ray or DVD, distributor/studio/official marketing website/press kits, screenshots from trailers, Google Image Search.

Post a Comment