''Not Me!'' (french: Sous-sol) is a Canadian
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
, released in 1996.
["Memories light corners of director's mind". '']Vancouver Sun
The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...
'', October 12, 1996. The full-length directorial debut of
Pierre Gang
Pierre Gang is a Canadian film and television director, best known for his 1996 feature film '' Sous-sol''"From the basement to the top: Sous-Sol wins Quebec director international acclaim". ''Montreal Gazette'', June 1, 1996. and the television mi ...
,
[ the screenplay had been written by Gang a full 10 years before he was able to make the film.]["10-year-old script going to Cannes". '' The Globe and Mail'', April 19, 1996.]
It stars Richard Moffatt as René, an 11-year-old boy coming of age in 1967.["From the basement to the top: Sous-Sol wins Quebec director international acclaim". '']Montreal Gazette
The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of th ...
'', June 1, 1996. When his father dies shortly after he accidentally witnesses his parents having sex, he becomes overly protective of his widowed mother Reine (Louise Portal
Louise Portal (born May 12, 1950) is a Canadian actress, film director, singer and writer. She won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film '' The Decline of the American Empire'', and was a nominee for Best Actress for ...
) when she enters a new relationship with Roch (Patrice Godin), while simultaneously having his own sexual awakening when the attractive Françoise (Isabelle Pasco
Isabelle Pasco (born 25 April 1966) is a French actress and model.
Pasco was born in Perpignan. She began her career as a model, modelling for photographers including: Paolo Roversi; Peter Lindberg; David Lachapelle; Helmut Newton; Antony Arms ...
) moves into a neighbouring apartment.[
The film premiered at the ]Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
in 1996,[ before opening commercially in ]Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...
on May 31.
The film garnered two Genie Award
The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978; also known as the "Etrog Awards," for sc ...
nominations at the 17th Genie Awards
The 17th Genie Awards were held on November 27, 1996, to honour films released in late 1995 and 1996. They were the ''second'' Genie Award ceremony held in that year; the 16th Genie Awards were delayed from the fall of 1995 and took place in Janu ...
in 1996, in the categories of Best Original Screenplay
The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best Story. Beginning with the ...
(Gang) and Best Actress
Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...
(Portal). It won the award for Best Original Screenplay.
The film was Canada's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
at the 69th Academy Awards
The 69th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 24, 1997, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremo ...
in 1997, but did not make the final shortlist.[Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]
See also
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References
External links
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1996 films
1990s coming-of-age drama films
Quebec films
Canadian coming-of-age drama films
1996 directorial debut films
French-language Canadian films
1990s Canadian films
{{1990s-Canada-film-stub