Drifting States
| Drifting States | |
|---|---|
| French | Les États nordiques |
| Directed by | Denis Côté |
| Written by | Denis Côté |
| Produced by | Denis Côté |
| Starring | Christian LeBlanc |
| Cinematography | Denis Laplante |
| Edited by | Rafaël Ouellet |
Production company | Nihilproductions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | French |
| Budget | C$80,000 |
Drifting States (French: Les États nordiques) is a 2005 Canadian docufiction drama film written and directed by Denis Côté. Starring Christian LeBlanc alongside residents of Radisson, the film follows a Montreal man starting over in a remote northern Quebec town. It was Côté’s feature-length debut, combines documentary and fictional elements, and won the Golden Leopard in the Video category at the 2005 Locarno Film Festival.
Synopsis
[edit]The film follows Christian, a Montreal man who compassionately ends life support for his comatose mother after her long hospitalization. He then drives nearly 2,000 kilometres north to Radisson, a remote town inhabited largely by people who arrived in the 1970s to work on a major hydroelectric project. There, he starts over among the town’s residents and tries to come to terms with his past.[1][2]
Cast
[edit]The cast includes Christian LeBlanc and residents of Radisson.[2]
Production
[edit]Côté's feature-length debut,[3] the film was shot digitally on a budget of C$80,000 and combines fiction and documentary elements.[4] Côté later described it as having one professional actor working with the residents of a small village.[5]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Writing for 24 images, André Roy compared the film to the works of Jacques Leduc, particularly Ordinary Tenderness (Tendresse ordinaire) and The Last Glacier (Le dernier glacier).[6]
Adam Nayman of POV Magazine wrote that Côté’s work "ebbs and flows between the imperatives of documentary and drama", and described the film as opening with a man’s euthanasia of his mother before turning to the residents of an isolated Quebec community.[7]
Awards
[edit]The film won a Golden Leopard in the Video category at the Locarno Film Festival in 2005,[3][8] and a Woosuk Award at the Jeonju International Film Festival in 2006.[9][8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Drifting States". Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Les États nordiques". Viennale. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ^ a b Alioff, Maurie (August 21, 2014). "Denis Côté". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Marc-André Lussier, (January 18, 2015) "2005: Les États nordiques de Denis Côté". La Presse Retrieved November 14, 2023.
- ^ Hudák, Tomáš (June 2018). ""Why do you need me to tell you all the secrets?": An Interview with Denis Côté". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ^ André Roy, "Une histoire simple / Les états nordiques de Denis Côté". 24 images, Vol, 121 (Spring 2005), p. 56.
- ^ Nayman, Adam (1 September 2009). "Auto Biography". POV Magazine. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ^ a b "Drifting States". Cinémathèque québécoise. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
- ^ Kelly, Brendan (February 11, 2019). "Creative Finance: Denis Côté prospers with quirky art films". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved November 14, 2023.