''Truffles'' () is a Canadian satirical science fiction film, written and directed by

Kim Nguyen Kim Nguyen (born 1974) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for his 2012 film '' War Witch (Rebelle)'' which received numerous honours including an Academy Awards nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Early life Bor ...

and released in 2008.Dennis Harvey
"Truffe"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', August 31, 2008. Centred in a world in which

global warming Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes ...

has turned the

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Hochelaga-Maisonneuve () is a neighbourhood in Montreal, Canada, situated in the east end of the island, generally to the south of the city's Olympic Stadium and east of downtown. Historically a poor neighbourhood, it has experienced significant ...

neighbourhood in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

into a mecca of wild

truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus ''Tuber''. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Peziza'', '' Choiromyces'', and ' ...

, the film stars

Roy Dupuis Roy Michael Joseph Dupuis (; born April 21, 1963) is a Canadian actor best known in America for his role as counterterrorism operative Michael Samuelle in the television series '' La Femme Nikita''. In Canada, specifically Quebec, he's known for ...

and

Céline Bonnier Céline Bonnier (; born 31 August 1965) is a French Canadian actress from Quebec. She has been nominated for four awards including Genie Awards and Gemini Awards. Filmography * 1992: ''Tectonic Plates'' * 1994: '' The Wind from Wyoming (Le Vent ...

as Charles and Alice, the owners of a diner in the neighbourhood who are hired by a large corporation to find and harvest the delicacies, only to become embroiled in a nefarious

body snatching Body snatching is the illicit removal of corpses from graves, morgues, and other burial sites. Body snatching is distinct from the act of grave robbery as grave robbing does not explicitly involve the removal of the corpse, but rather theft from t ...

plot.Robert Bell
"Truffe: Kim Nguyen"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', February 17, 2009. The cast also includes

Pierre Lebeau Pierre Lebeau (born 22 July 1954) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for major roles in Quebec big-box movies such as ''Séraphin: Heart of Stone'' and the four-part ''Les Boys'' series. Life and career His acting career started on the theatr ...

Danielle Proulx Danielle Proulx (born October 12, 1952) is a French Canadian actress. Early life Danielle Proulx was born on October 12, 1952 in Montreal, Quebec. Career She is a two-time Genie Award winner for Best Supporting Actress, for her roles in ' ...

Jean-Nicolas Verreault Jean-Nicolas Verreault (born August 28, 1967) is a Canadian actor from Quebec. He is most noted for his starring role as Evian in the 2000 film '' Maelström'', for which he was a Genie Award nominee for Best Supporting Actor at the 21st Genie Awar ...

, Michèle Richard,

Paul Ahmarani Paul Ahmarani (born 1972) is a Canadian actor. Ahmarani is known for his roles in the movies '' The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge'' (''La Moitié gauche du frigo'') and '' How My Mother Gave Birth to Me During Menopause'' (''Comment ma mère accou ...

and Danny Gilmore in supporting roles.

Production

The film was shot in spring 2007.Patricia Bailey
"The trouble with Truffles"
'' Playback'', March 30, 2007. Its theme music was a cover of "

I Put a Spell on You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins and co-written with Herb Slotkin. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins's greatest commercial success, reportedly su ...

", recorded by

DJ Champion Maxime Morin (born c. 1969),Martel ...

with vocals by

Béatrice Bonifassi Béatrice "Betty" Bonifassi (born 1971) is a Canadian vocalist based in Montreal. She has a deep, contralto singing voice, sometimes referred to as "masculine",> Montreal's Beast pairs a famous singer with a beatsmith to the stars", ''Montreal ...

.Charles-Henri Ramond
"Truffe – Film de Kim Nguyen"
''Films du Québec'', April 10, 2009.

Distribution

It premiered in July 2008 at 2008

Fantasia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

, before going into commercial release in August.

Critical response

Dennis Harvey of ''

'' wrote that the film "is striking enough visually to overcome the sly script’s slightly undernourished aftertaste, with ace contributions from production designer Mario Hervieux and lenser Nicolas Bolduc. Coldly minimalist corporate HQ, atmospheric underground truffle mines and 1950s-flavored diner/apartment settings all testify to the pic’s imagination within modest production means." For ''

'', Robert Bell wrote that "Acting as a low budget and slightly less pretentious ''

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...

'' — at least from a philosophical perspective — with a distinctively French-Canadian quirkiness, Truffe proves to be one of the more entertaining indictments of corporate psychosis and blind conformity out there. Much of this comes from its distinguishable aesthetic sense, as the film is shot entirely in black and white and is framed with comic book precision, along with its tendency to show rather than tell, which is refreshing given the loads of pedagogy being served."

References

External links

* 2008 films Canadian satirical films Canadian science fiction comedy films Films directed by Kim Nguyen French-language Canadian films Films shot in Montreal Films set in Montreal 2000s Canadian films {{Quebec-film-stub