Synopsis
The Free Ones is a documentary which shows us how four detainees are dealing with the end of their prison sentence, in a sawmill. Can a factory job help them to make the necessary transformation and become free men? Hidden from society’s view and through meetings with their instructors, psychotherapists and other participants, we accompany Samuel, Pierrot, Fred and Steve talk about their hopes and fears during this six-month transition period.
A word from Tënk
According to the Comité consultatif pour la clientèle judiciarisée adulte (CCCJA), 14% of Canadian adults have a criminal record. That’s 800,000 people in Quebec, of whom 88% are men. With minimal educational and professional experience, these individuals emerge from a first incarceration profoundly marginalized. The Free Ones pulls away from statistics and immerses us in a workplace integration program that offers training and support for ex-convicts. Amid flying sawdust, the harsh Saguenay winter and the rumble of machinery, there are miracles to be found. A man regains confidence in himself and discovers the benefits of sobriety. Another learns to control his anger and to express himself calmly in group therapy. A woman battles to convey her motivation, swallows her tears and gets to work. The almost super-human determination and strength of character required to extricate oneself from an unhealthy, if numbing and familiar, lifestyle are portrayed with care and respect in this observational documentary. Taking a healthy distance but still engaged with his humanity, the director brings us into a gallery of characters who are veritable real-world heroes and heroines. Alain, the trainer, is especially startling in his directness and sincere humanity, reminding us that there’s no relationship between the grandiosity of human beings and the stage they’re given.
Naomie Décarie-Daigneault
Tënk's Artistic Director
