Montreal crime inspired director’s new thriller
Renowned Quebec director was inspired by 2010 shooting in Old Montreal
Montreal writer-director Denys Arcand’s upcoming film, Triomphe de l’argent, which begins filming in and around Montreal on Sept. 5, was inspired by the shooting at the Flawnego boutique in Old Montreal in March 2010.
Carey Isaac Regis, Terrell Lloyd Smith and Kyle Gabriel were convicted of first-degree murder in 2014 for killing Peter Christopoulos and Jean Gaston in 2010.
Many police investigators believe the real target that day was Ducarme Joseph, a street-gang leader who owned the boutique.
“Inspiration is the most mysterious thing in the world,” Arcand said at a news conference at the Olympia Theatre on Tuesday. “You never know where it comes from. ... (The Flawnego shooting) was a terrible story, related to a criminal called Ducarme Joseph. I started fantasizing about this. What happened? Why did it happen like that? I started an investigation into this. Then I began thinking about what would happen if a guy found himself with two bags full of money. What could he do with that? What would it mean for him in terms of his place in society?”
Arcand is one of Canada’s most acclaimed filmmakers, with a body of work that includes Le déclin de l’empire américain, Love and Human Remains, Jésus de Montréal
It’s a cop film just like Crime and Punishment is a crime novel.
and Stardom. His 2003 film, Les invasions barbares, won the Academy Award for best foreignlanguage film.
Triomphe de l’argent is Arcand’s first film since Le règne de la beauté in 2014.
Triomphe de l’argent stars Alexandre Landry, who does not have all that much big-screen experience, as Pierre-Paul Dubé, a 35-year-old guy who has a PhD in philosophy from McGill University, but is working as a courier for Can-Am because it pays better than working as a philosophy lecturer. While delivering a package to a women’s clothing boutique, he stumbles into a holdup that ends with two murders. He finds himself with two sports bags stuffed with millions of dollars in cash.
So he has to figure out what he should do with the dough.
“It’s a cop film just like Crime and Punishment is a crime novel,” said Arcand.
“So it’s a crime story with criminals and revolvers and all that. But in fact, it’s talking about something all together different. It’s talking about how we don’t have any other values in our society other than money. That applies to art and to international business. It applies to the election of Donald Trump. So we talk about all that. But I hope it’ll still be fun to watch.”
Arcand penned the original screenplay, and it will be produced by his longtime production partner (and wife) Denise Robert. The cast also includes Quebec writerproducer Louis Morissette.
Arcand, who is 76, said he’s still excited about making movies.
“I always make films the same way,” said Arcand. “I’m excited. I’ll have fun. I still have a lot of fun doing this job. I have as much fun making films today as I did when I was 20 years old. Some films are popular, others are less popular. That doesn’t affect me. I make my films. Some people like them, others like them less. It’s not important. What’s important is to make the film as good as possible.”
Triomphe de l’argent shoots from Sept. 5 to Nov. 8 and will be released next year.