The best Luc Picard’s movies

Savage Messiah is a docudrama about Roch "Moïse" Thériault, the charismatic former leader of a small religious group based near Burnt River, Ontario, Canada. Between 1977 and 1989 he held sway over as many as 12 adults and 26 children. He used all of the nine women as concubines, and probably fathered most of the children in the group. During his reign, Thériault mutilated several members. His major crime was to kill Solange Boilard, his legal wife, by disembowelment while trying to perform surgery on her. He was arrested for assault in 1989, and convicted of murder in 1993. Along with Clifford Olsen and Paul Bernardo, Thériault is considered one of Canada's most notorious criminals.

On a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships, in the middle of a drought and while the land is parching, a drama will disrupt the life of the Santerre family. Confronted to each other they will have to learn to forgive.

With the villagers of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton barely having enough food to survive, Ésimésac convinces them to collaborate on a community garden. Each person will multiply his or her yield by cultivating the land together. At the same time, talk of a new railway line promises to connect Saint-Élie-de-Caxton to the rest of the world and brings the hope of abundance. Riopel, the hulking blacksmith, starts working on the railway track and convinces the locals to invest in his project rather than waste their time playing in the garden. Ésimésac’s big project flounders under the weight of metal. But can he really stop progress?

For twenty-two years, Leo Huff has been working as a secretary in the same office. Living with the same wife in the same suburban bungalow, with the same old furniture and is the same old daily routine, his life is a monotonous statement. Things take a sudden turn when Leo has to stand in for an engineer and give a presentation in a small rural community. There, Leo is swept away by Lou, a distressed young woman who takes him beyond the beaten track. This encounter spells a new beginning for Leo, a strange, chaotic journey filled with unexpected twists and turns.

In April 1994, the middle-aged Canadian journalist Bernard Valcourt is making a documentary in Kigali about AIDS. He secretly falls in love for the Tutsi waitress of his hotel Gentille, who is younger than him, in a period of violent racial conflicts. When the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda begins, Bernard does not succeed in escaping with Gentille to Canada. When the genocide finishes in July 1994, Bernard returns to the chaotic Kigali seeking out Gentille in the middle of destruction and dead bodies. Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This historical drama with music examines the life and times of Émile Nelligan, one of the major Canadian poets of the 19th century who struggled through a difficult childhood with the help of his loving mother, only to see his career cut short by tragic circumstances.

A dramatization of the abduction and murder of a Quebec government minister by a cell of The Quebec Liberation Front. In October 1970, one group from the same organization kidnapped the British Consul in Montreal. A few days later, a second group kidnapped Pierre Laporte, a minister of the Quebec Governement. The film tells the story of this last terrorist cell which ended in the death of its hostage.

The sleepy town where Léo lives doesn’t offer her much chance of self-fulfilment. Extricating herself from her mother’s influence and her constricting environment isn’t easy for the frustrated young woman, yet happiness might be close at hand. A stylistically precise, pop-impressionistic film about a girl’s quest to find out who she really is, featuring the captivating Karelle Tremblay in the lead role.

Montreal, 1904. Giuseppe and Ninetta own a boarding house where they welcome their fellow Sicilians. One day, as he comes to the defence of one of his boarders, Giuseppe accidentally kills Theo, his French Canadian best friend’s son-in-law. This drama depicts the tensions between people from different ethnic backgrounds and their life-changing impact. Based on a true story, 'The Saracen Woman' paints a portrait of Italian immigration to Quebec and the affinities and conflicts that arose from the clash of two different cultures.

Louis is "repo man" who is no stranger to strong-arm tactics in his work, but he has dreamed of becoming an actor since he was a child. When cousin helps him get an audition, he gets the help of a fam... read more ous actor to him secretly rehearse his scenes. He doesn't even tell his girlfriend Suzie But, Suzie also has a secret. She's pregnant and doesn't want her child to grow up in an atmosphere of violence.

Two harum-scarums who think they are good stand-up comics try to make a career in showbiz, partly for the career, partly to seduce women. They try alternatively the scene, a movie set and TV. They only succeed in making a fool of themselves

The detective Maud Graham hides her sensibility behind the image of a strong and independant woman. She frequently offers her hospitality to a 16-year-old prostitute, Grégoire, a young man who became her friend. But when the teenager decides to invite a 12-year-old boy who is running away from home, Maud is near illegality. In addition, the detective has to deal with a serial killer who had already killed and mutilated many women. When she understands that the killer is very intelligent and organized, she elaborates a strategy to arrest him. There starts a dangerous game where the two teenagers that Graham is protecting will be implied. The killer is getting closer, revealing more and more of his madness.

Alex has a deeply troubled mind. He also has a seriously dysfunctional - not to say incestuous - family. Why then, has he returned from his merchant seaman job to the rocky coasts of his home? Perhaps he couldn't cut manage to march in his father's footsteps in that job. His mother doesn't seem to mind, and lets him stay at her bed and breakfast hotel. His sister still seems to have the hots for him, just as she does for his (and her) old boyfriend Jean-Louis, who has just shown up. Even his mother seems to find him sexy. All these people appear eager to get their hands on his body, but he's too wrapped up in what's going on inside his head to notice.

Jacques is an actor who runs away to the countryside to escape his gambling debts. He meets Simon, a rough and wily farmer who manipulates him into a business relationship. After a difficult start, the men help each other grow marijuana. They happen to meet Francesca, a sharp young woman who soon embraces their venture. By the time they get to the winter harvest, the three have learned to live together, but outside forces threaten the delicate balance of their little business...

A Montreal police officer goes to Arkansas to solve the murder of his brother.

In 1839, months after the British army has repressed the insurrection of the Patriots, hundreds of rebels rot in prison. The morning of February 14, Marie-Thomas Chevalier De Lorimier and Charles Hindelang learn that they will be hung in 24 hours, with three other comrades. While they await their hour of death the condemned spend time and consult with companions and loved ones as well as entrust to those their last wills. At dawn, the five Patriots find the courage to walk with dignity towards the scaffold, knowing that will they die in the name of a just causewww.tribute.ca