Name: Catimini
Genre: Drama
Released: 2013-01-25
Duration: 1 h 51 min
Rating: 6.9
Cast: Emilie Bierre, Joyce-Tamara Hall, Rosine Chouinard-Chauveau

Unsentimental yet profoundly moving story of four young girls going from one foster home to another, this small independent film paints an extremely touching portrait of children left to their own devices in an often uncaring world. The film's main strength is its almost documentary feel, its constantly affecting – yet never maudlin – approach, and the uniformly strong performances of its quartet of four young actresses (aged from 6 to 18) whose different (yet often similarly sad) destinies can be read as that of a single character. But what ultimately makes this film so memorable is the way writer-director Nathalie St-Pierre embraces the point of view of each of these girls, filming only what the see, ear of feel, forcing us to share the ruptures that punctuates their lives, their constant feeling of helplessness, of life being not much more than a series of dislocations and broken relationships. The film's last part bring the four young girls together on the evening of a celebration honouring one of the foster families where they all briefly lived, on the occasion of the arrival of their 100th child. An event which will finally allow the girls to see how little they mattered to their one-time foster family, while giving one of the girls the occasion to try to avenge them all – however briefly. Ultimately, St-Pierre's film is an extremely affecting indictment of society's indifference to those it pretends to care for. Even-handed in its approach ("Everyone has his reasons", as Renoir said in "The Rules of the Game", and the main culprit here is not anyone's malevolence, just everyone's indifference), this small gem is a quiet yet powerful film, full of justified anger, yet filled with even more tenderness for its young characters. It is, quite simply, one of the most moving films about childhood that I have ever seen (next to Pialat's "L'enfance nue" and Truffaut's "400 Blows"). Don't miss it

French-language cinema, whether in France, Québec, or other Francophone regions, explores cultural identity, social change, and the tension between the individual and society. French cinema is not only celebrated for its intellectual experimentation and auteur traditions, but also its success in mainstream comedy, romance, and commercial entertainment. In Québec, films often focus on questions of language, belonging, and community within a distinct cultural landscape.

Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

Centered on the lives of four young Quebec girls between 6-18 years old, living in the DPJ.

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Catimini

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