CHETICAMP: The following is a review submitted to The Laker News about the film Le Grand Vide.
The film was filmed throughout Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, including in Cheticamp.
Videographer Matt Dagley, who freelances in many of our video projects with The Laker News, was part of the filming of Le Grand Vide.
The review was submitted from Marina O’Connell.
Below is Marina’s review, which she gives the film four out of five stars.
VIDEO: Trailer of Le Grand Vide:
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Le Grand Vide: A Soulful Journey Through Loss and Redemption
With Le Grand Vide (The Emptiness Within), Jessy Dupont delivers an introspective and poignant work that explores themes of forgiveness, reconciliation, and the search for meaning.
The film follows Elliot, a retired and alcoholic cabinetmaker, who embarks on a journey to find his son who has been missing for twenty years, accompanied by Bourk, a marginal Acadian.
This unlikely friendship unfolds throughout their journey across the French-speaking regions of Canada, particularly in Acadia and Quebec.
Dupont’s screenplay avoids easy melodrama, opting for a slow and reflective pace that allows the audience to immerse themselves in the characters’ subtle emotions.
The dialogues are sincere and stripped down, favoring meaningful silences and glances. This approach, typical of auteur cinema, might seem overly contemplative for some, but it gives the film an authentic emotional depth.
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One of the film’s greatest strengths is how Dupont manages to address delicate subjects like alcoholism, broken parental relationships, and Franco-Acadian friendship without falling into clichés.
The references to Francophone culture and the Wolastoqey language, along with the importance of the relationship between Quebec and Acadia, add a unique cultural richness to the story.
However, Le Grand Vide is not without flaws.
Some viewers may find the pacing too slow, and the relatively simple narrative might not appeal to those looking for more action or plot twists.
But it is precisely in this simplicity that the film’s strength lies: a story of ordinary men, of loss, rediscovery, and resilience.
Le Grand Vide is an evocative road movie that leaves a lasting impression, anchored by its strong performances and heartfelt storytelling.
