An adorable skunk who gets into mischief. An intelligent, rebellious and independent little girl who stands up to adults to preserve the beauty of the world. A misanthropic uncle who gradually opens his heart to the world. Almost 40 years ago, Bach and Bottine melted the hearts of young and old alike, anchoring itself forever among the flagship works of local youth cinema.
Touching a classic is always risky. However, this is the challenge that screenwriter and producer Dominic James and director Yan Lanouette Turgeon took on, by offering a new adaptation of the famous tale to today’s audiences.
When he took over, in 2015, the reins of La Fête productions, founded by the creator of Contes pour tous, Rock Demers, Dominic James very quickly saw the potential of this candy film featuring an atypical family. “I found that the premise of the film – which is notably based on the notion of isolation – resonated a lot with the current era,” he explains in an interview with Duty. We live in a society where we spend more time on our phones than connecting with each other. This idea that someone can break down the walls of the prison that adults erect around them to wake up the inner child and relearn how to let themselves be loved, I think it can touch a lot of people. »
The screenwriter has transposed this new version into the world of opera where Philippe, a composer lacking inspiration, is forced to welcome his niece Simone, an orphan waiting for a new family, including her best friend is a skunk. While the first is withdrawn, taciturn and deeply solitary, the second overflows with life, imagination, curiosity, in addition to cultivating a serious penchant for disobedience.
Simone arrives at a difficult time in Philippe’s life, who sees with dread the approaching deadline of the composition contract on which he has been working for months, without great results, and who must get his career back on track. However, through contact with the girl, the artist will see his horizons – and his heart – broaden, giving new impetus to his creativity.
Large spectre
Dominic James entrusted the keys to his project to Yan Lanouette Turgeon — a bold choice. The director, whose CV includes the feature film rock paper scissors (2013) and the TV series IXE-13 and the race for uranium (2024), is in fact rather known for its scathing humor and its borrowing from film noir. “I’m really not the first one I would have thought of for such a mandate,” says the main person concerned with a laugh. But when I read the script, I was blown away by the breath, the rhythm, the story. I saw the possibility of creating an entire universe. I also recognized the anxieties you can have when you become a parent for the first time, and suddenly have to take care of a tiny human, and that really touched me. »
“The challenge was to find the right tone for the whole family,” adds the producer. With La Fête 2.0, we wanted to offer unifying, inspiring, funny films, but which are not afraid to tackle more serious themes, which also speak to an adult audience. It took someone with deep sensitivity, with a lot of humor and capable of offering a visual experience. I knew, having worked with Yan before, that he would protect this vision and these requirements. »
An irresistible duo
Antoine Bertrand, who plays the composer, did not hesitate for a single second to jump headlong into the adventure. “I grew up with Tales for All. When I saw the La Fête productions logo on the script, 90% of my decision was made. Then, the proposal was clearly up to par. There was only one element missing,” he says, winking at his playing partner, Marguerite Laurence, who plays Simone.
Indeed, even if the story is touching and well delivered, the film would not have been as successful without the obvious complicity uniting the two actors. “It’s impossible not to develop a bond with Marguerite, because she is so open to others. I think you would even get along with a punk from Émilie-Gamelin Park, a garbage collector from Hochelaga, or even Donald Trump. »
“Not even that!” retorts the main interested party. It was difficult to find positive points in Antoine, but I managed,” she laughs.
While Marguerite Laurence looks a lot like Simone, “but more respectful”, Antoine Bertrand for his part had to compose the character most different from himself that he had to interpret during his impressive career. “I am the antithesis of the socially anxious. I always had to keep a check on my extroverted and joking side, always being uncomfortable when I am only comfortable. I did a lot of research on anxiety before filming to bring Philippe to life in me before arriving on set. It was a great challenge. »
A fun and grandiose atmosphere
By choosing to transpose the universe of Bach and Bottine in the world of opera, Dominic James and Yan Lanouette Turgeon gave themselves the right to explore a universe whose tone, form and conventions offered them less conventional narrative avenues, without losing an ounce of truth and realism . “In opera, everything is big, grandiose, tragic. At the same time, it’s so felt that you can’t not believe it. It allowed us to create secondary characters a little “over the top”, to dare a more caricatured humor, to use music to communicate larger-than-life emotions, in addition to building a rich and beautiful visual universe. For a director, it’s candy,” underlines Yan Lanouette Turgeon.
To emphasize the timelessness of the story, the two acolytes also decided to offer a little retro side to their production, so much so that we can never really target the era in which the story takes place. The filmmaker has also studied timelessness a lot, in both photographic and cinematographic production, to imagine the look of his film. “When I read the script, I saw the little 11-year-old in the cinema, hiding so his cousin wouldn’t see him cry. At 45, I was still moved, for completely different reasons. The timelessness of the story was evident. It could just as well take place in 1956 as in 2024. I always work in the same way, starting from the characters to explode the form. Here, I was dealing with slightly offbeat characters, on the fringes of the world. Everything became symbiotic and allowed me to imagine a playful and colorful universe. »
“We were also very conscious of working on a film that was going to last a long time, like all Tales for All,” adds Dominic James.
