Life as a filmmaker might have became a hell of a lot easier for Denis Côté especially when the French-Canadian auteur broke into a more “user-friendly” cinema with his Locarno winning Curling (Best Director). With more “flexibility”, his 6th film titled Vic et Flo ont vu un ours (English translation Vic and Flo Saw a Bear) is set to go into production for next summer (means we shouldn’t be seeing the final product until 2013) and he’ll get to employ some bigger name talent. Actress/filmmaker Valérie Donzelli (whose La Guerre est déclarée is France’s Oscar bet this year) and Marc-André Grondin whose had a healthy career so far in both Quebec and France since his breakout role in C.R.A.Z.Y. have signed on.
Gist: Victoria Champagne (Pierrette Robitaille) is released from prison. Installed in a sugar shack in the woods, every week she must report her actions to parole officer (Marc-André Grondin). Florence Richemont (Valerie Donzelli), the cell partner cell is later released and joins Victoria in the woods. A strange dynamic between them begins.
Worth Noting: Côté previously worked with Grondin on the 43min medium-short film Les lignes ennemies (2010).
Do We Care?: Former Directors’ Fortnight and current Locarno Film Fest director Olivier Père isn’t the only one interested in this director’s career — Côté’s unique tone, character descriptions and chosen locations for his texts posit cinephiles like myself into a yielding submission.