BOY-MEETS-GIRL ENHANCED BY FOCUS ON DETAILS
Montreal director’s debut film puts endearing spin on familiar romantic tale
It doesn’t take much to tell a compelling story. It’s not always easy to do, but the elements themselves don’t have to be the results of rocket science — they just need to be handled with a modicum of honesty.
Montrealer Pascal Plante pulls off his feature debut Les faux tatouages, a seemingly standard boy-meets-girl romance, by focusing on the details and imbuing them with an unshakable sense of authenticity.
That was enough to land him a spot at Montreal’s Festival du nouveau cinéma last fall, where Les faux tatouages won best Canadian film; followed by an invitation to Slamdance, the Sundance Film Festival’s cheeky indie sibling, where the movie received an honourable mention; and the Berlin Film Festival, where it screens next week.
The film opens on Theo (A-1 brooder Anthony Therrien) at a hard-rock concert; but Plante doesn’t show us the band, just the long-haired teenage fan, in close-up, bobbing his head in solemn approval.
After, the kid hops on his bike and pops over to a local diner, where he orders a soda — cute — and strikes up a conversation with a bleached-blond rocker chick named Mag (a vibrant Rose-Marie Perreault). Scratch that, she strikes up the conversation with him.
In an endearing twist on familiar courtship clichés, it is Mag who leads the charge, beginning by quizzing Theo about the fake tattoos on his arm. She orders a soda as well (aww), and soon the two are sitting at the counter, fumbling their way through an awkward but endearing 10-minute encounter, while Plante’s camera lingers in an intimate two-shot.
The writer-director is in no rush, and is more than willing to enjoy an uncomfortable silence or let scenes meander. And he does just that for much of Les faux tatouages.
There is a loose dramatic structure to the proceedings, but it’s more a tale of two young people hooking up and figuring out what comes next than plotdriven hijinks.
With some convincing, Theo doubles Mag home on his bike — so Montreal — and Plante’s camera lingers some more as their rough-hewed courting ritual unfolds.
A limit will be set to their time together. As they get to know each other over the ensuing weeks, Mag reveals a soft side and we slowly learn the reason for Theo’s self-protective shell.
A few less-convincing scenes are compensated for by the film’s overall feel. Driven by an audacious thirst for authentic moments, Les faux tatouages leaves a lasting impression.
Les faux tatouages opens Friday at Quartier Latin, and opens Feb. 23 at Cinema Guzzo Pont Viau in Laval and Cineplex Boucherville.