Directed by
Jean-François Caissy
Languages
French, English
Produced by
Les Films de l’autre
80 min, Documentary, Quebec, Canada, 2009
An abandoned motel converted into a retirement home sets the stage for an elegiac exploration of life and ageing.
Synopsis
In the far reaches of the Quebec countryside, between a road and a headland that plunges into the sea, an abandoned motel has been converted into a retirement home. In this former travellers’ retreat, time seems to have ground to a halt. Journey’s end is an elegiac exploration of old age, set in a place at once physical and allegorical.
Set against the backdrop of the rolling sea and changing seasons, the film takes us inside this microcosm, slowly revealing the workings of a self-contained world. By sharing in the lives of two dozen seniors over the course of five seasons, the viewer is drawn into the pace of old age; rather than providing answers, the film elicits reflection. The scenes unfold as a series of standalone but interlocking tableaux devoid of interviews, narration or music. This rigorous attempt to convey reality steadily builds the film’s tone, a mood between despair and celebration.
Credits
Script and Direction : Jean-François Caissy
Direction pf Photography : Nicolas Canniccioni
Editing : Mathieu Bouchard-Malo
Sound Editing : Hugo Brochu, Martin Allard
Music : Julien Bilodeau
Sound Mixing : Serge Boivin (onf)
Production : Les Films de l’autre
in collaboration with : Maria films
Financial Partners
SODEC
Conseil des Arts du Canada
Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec
ONF
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