Synopsis
Une semaine dans la vie de camarades is a road movie whose journey intersects with and extends the events of the International Counter-Culture Meeting that took place in 1975 in Montreal. This meeting, at the heart of the film, features several important figures of the counterculture in Quebec. Throughout the film, these individuals, often through their creative endeavors, question the evolution of their society and counterculture itself. Notable appearances include Serge Lemoyne, Gilles Groulx, Pierrot Léger, Louis Geoffroy, Armand Vaillancourt, Ann Waldman, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. Presented in the “directors’ cut version” completed in 2015.
A word from Tënk
Une semaine dans la vie de camarades, a seldom-distributed work, paints a portrait of the counter-cultural and working-class state of Quebec in 1975. Excessive in form, length (four hours), and content, this exceptional document of an era that feels both distant and close to us is reminiscent of La nuit de la poésie 27 mars 1970 by Jean-Claude Labrecque and Jean-Pierre Masse, albeit more explosive and psychedelic.
Despite their limited resources, brothers Jean and Serge Gagné, heirs to the "interrogative cinema," to use Gilles Groulx's apt phrase, traveled across Quebec to film reality and capture the voices of local workers and artists. Much like André Gladu's work, they also incorporated traditional songs and music performances into their documentary.
Une semaine dans la vie de camarades showcases a politicized Quebec, open to the world and aware of its own uniqueness, driven by a desire to discuss ideas and ideals. This extraordinary vitality is evident in the physical confidence and intellectual assurance of figures like Groulx—filmed in his barn in Saint-Antoine-sur-Richelieu!—Armand Vaillancourt, and Patrick Straram.
Jean-Philippe Desrochers
Critique
