Mon Uncle Antoine

Director: Claude Jutra
Starring: Jacques Gagnon
Year: 1971

Summary: Young Benoit learns about life very quickly from his uncle Antoine who serves as everything from notary and shopkeeper to undertaker in a depressed region of Canada's backwoods. Set in 1940s in cold rural Quebec at Christmas time, MON ONCLE ANTOINE is an alternately tender and haunting coming-of-age film that came to be recognized as one of Canadian cinema's greatest works.

Comments: On its own, this is a powerful film and well worth watching. For us, it had held some additional interest. The film was shot in a small mining town called Thetford Mines, about an hour and a half from Quebec City. Thetford Mines is known as the asbestos capital of Canada, since its primary mining product is asbestos. Zhanna and I stumbled upon this town by accident on a recent trip to Canada.

Recommendation: Highly Recommended