''The Heat Line'' (french: La Ligne de chaleur) is a 1988
Canadian drama film, directed by Hubert-Yves Rose.
[ Gerald Pratley, ''A Century of Canadian Cinema''. Lynx Images, 2003. . p. 96.] The film stars
Gabriel Arcand as Robert Filion, a divorced man who is travelling with his young son Maxime (Simon Gonzalez) to Florida to identify and claim the body of his father Eugène (played by
Gérard Poirier
Gérard Poirier (4 February 1930 – 19 December 2021) was a Canadian actor and director.
Life and career
Born in Montreal in 1930, Poirier began acting in the theatre at the age of 12. He graduated from the Collège André-Grasset in 1952 an ...
in flashbacks and hallucinations) after the older man's death of a sudden heart attack.
The film's cast also includes
Gerard Parkes as Norman Simpson, a retired American man they meet on the trip who appears to be trying to ingratiate himself into Robert's life as a replacement father figure, and
Charlotte Boisjoli as Robert's mother.
[Jean Chantale]
"Hubert Yves Rose's La Ligne de Chaleur"
'' Cinema Canada'', November 1988. p. 28.
The film premiered in the
Directors' Fortnight program at the
1988 Cannes Film Festival
The 41st Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 23 May 1988. The Palme d'Or went to the '' Pelle erobreren'' by Bille August.
The festival opened with ''Le Grand Bleu'', directed by Luc Besson and closed with ''Willow'', directed by Ron Howard. ...
, and had its Canadian premiere at the
1988 Toronto International Film Festival
The 13th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 8 and September 17, 1988. ''Midnight Madness'' programme was introduced at the festival. The festival screened more than 300 films from all ...
.
Response
In his book ''A Century of Canadian Cinema'',
Gerald Pratley described the film as "a difficult theme almost lost in the monotony".
[ Writing for '' Cinema Canada'', Jean Chantale reviewed the film more positively, calling it "deeply satisfying" and evocative, and concluding that "''La Ligne de Chaleur'' is like attending your own funeral. It should not be missed. You will marvel at what you learn about relationships you thought you had pegged."][
Richard Grégoire received a ]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 scu ...
nomination for Best Original Score at the 10th Genie Awards
The 10th Genie Awards were held on March 22, 1989."Dead Ringers tops at Genies". ''Montreal Gazette'', March 23, 1989. This was in the middle of a strike at the CBC, causing the ceremony to be scaled down and several nominees to boycott the awards ...
.["Genie award nominees: complete list". '' Vancouver Sun'', February 14, 1989.]
References
External links
*
1988 films
1980s drama road movies
Canadian drama road movies
Quebec films
1980s French-language films
French-language Canadian films
1980s Canadian films
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