Ghost Town Anthology

Irénée-les-Neiges is a remote village somewhere in Quebec with only 215 inhabitants. When young Simon Dubé dies in a car accident, the villagers’ tranquil and regulated existence is thrown out of step. People are decidedly reluctant to talk about the particulars of the accident. For Simon’s parents and his brother, their grief means that time seems to lose all meaning and their mood gradually spreads to others. The mayoress’s pragmatism increasingly comes to nought, and this older married couple find themselves unable to maintain their quirky habits in peace. Snowy, frosty winter days stretch out into infinity. Something barely tangible descends on the region, like a veil. Mysterious figures emerge from the fog and commit strange acts. To intensify the unreal atmosphere, this film was shot on 16mm. Stories from another time appear to lurk behind the coarse-grained, flickering celluloid images. But what seems strange is sometimes more familiar than one might suspect. (Berlinale)