928583 1353464

RICHELIEU

Year 2023
Runtime 89 mins
Language French, Spanish
Subtitles English
Alberta Premiere

Facing bankruptcy after a difficult breakup, Ariane moves back home to the Richelieu Valley and gets a job in a food transformation plant for seasonal migrant workers. Focused on solving her financial issues, Ariane serves as an interpreter between Stephane, the factory’s aggressive supervisor, and the 42 seasonal Guatemalan workers hired as cheap labor. She obeys Stephane’s often excessive orders, pressuring the underpaid Latino workers to constantly work overtime and turning down any request for better conditions. Little by little, she befriends a group of four Guatemalans assigned to the most physically demanding unit of the entire factory. Shoveling shredded corn in the harsh sun all day long, Manuel, Alfonso, Guillermo, and Juan have no one else but her to voice their concerns. Realizing the extent of her new friends’ vulnerability, Ariane begins to take a stand against Stephane. Tension slowly builds up between the two as Ariane defies his decision to fire workers or to illegally install surveillance cameras in the dormitories. When Manuel slowly falls ill to a mysterious condition, the stakes quickly develop into a crisis situation.

The films of Pier-Philippe Chevigny combine contemporary sociopolitical subject matter with a distinct visual style. In 2019, his short film REBEL received worldwide attention, screening at over 140 festivals.

Countries

Canada France
Festivals
Fantasia International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival
Director
Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Producer
Geneviève Gosselin-G., Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Alice Bloch
Screenwriter
Pier-Philippe Chevigny
Cinematographer
Gabriel Brault-Tardif
Editor
Amélie Labrèche
Music
Félicia Atkinson
Cast
Ariane Castellanos, Marc-André Grondin, Nelson Coronado, Eve Duranceau, Luis Oliva, Micheline Bernard, Antonio Ortega, Gerardo Miranda, Marvin Coroy