Cinéma Le Clap - French films without subtitles!

A small group of us went to the Université Laval cinema which specializes in showing international and local films in their original versions. We saw the Québécois film La Petite Reine which was based loosely on the life of disgraced Québec cylist, Geneviève Jeanson in 2007 when she admitted to taking performance enhancing drugs (à la manière de Lance Armstrong). The film was difficult to watch at times as it was graphic and also when you realize how high level athletes are often not in control of their own lives. It was also a challenge for students who had never watched a French film without subtitles. Several of the characters had thick accents and, as in most films, slang and other regional expressions were often used. It was a good exercise in language comprehension! I enjoyed the film very much. This was the first film I had seen with actress Laurence Leboeuf who was excellent. Director Alexis Durand-Brault said that rather than showing the disgraced athlete in a completely negative light, he wanted to create a sympathetic character that the audience would feel for, despite the fact that she willingly took drugs since the age of 14.