JOURNEY’S END
80 min, Documentary, Quebec, Canada, 2009Directed byJean-François Caissy
Produced byLes Films de l’autre
LanguagesFrench, English
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Press reviews
It’s a powerful, affecting experience. Kenton Smith, Uptown Magazine Journey's End beautifully illustrates the unique patience, subdued humour and poignancy that are possible only in the last stages of our lives. The UniterFilm details
Synopsis
In the far reaches of the Quebec countryside, between a road and a headland that plunges into the sea, an abandoned motel has been converted into a retirement home. In this former travellers’ retreat, time seems to have ground to a halt. Journey’s end is an elegiac exploration of old age, set in a place at once physical and allegorical.
Set against the backdrop of the rolling sea and changing seasons, the film takes us inside this microcosm, slowly revealing the workings of a self-contained world. By sharing in the lives of two dozen seniors over the course of five seasons, the viewer is drawn into the pace of old age; rather than providing answers, the film elicits reflection. The scenes unfold as a series of standalone but interlocking tableaux devoid of interviews, narration or music. This rigorous attempt to convey reality steadily builds the film’s tone, a mood between despair and celebration.
Credits
Script and Direction : Jean-François Caissy
Direction pf Photography : Nicolas Canniccioni
Editing : Mathieu Bouchard-Malo
Sound Editing : Hugo Brochu, Martin Allard
Music : Julien Bilodeau
Sound Mixing : Serge Boivin (onf)
Production : Les Films de l’autre
in collaboration with : Maria films
Financial Partners
SODEC
Conseil des Arts du Canada
Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec
ONF
MAIN Film
Direction
Jean-François Caissy
After studying photography, Jean-François Caissy directed the feature-length documentary Journey’s End (2009), which premiered at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. His subsequent films, La marche à suivre (2014) and Premières armes (2018), were also presented at the Berlinale, winning several awards, including the “World Pulse Award” at the IndieLisboa Festival.
Filmography