Jean-François Caissy

As they undergo 12 weeks of intensive training, a group of young civilians is gradually moulded into soldiers. The Basic Training, a prerequisite for joining the Canadian Armed Forces, becomes the gateway to exploring the inner workings of a world governed by its own rules and values.

Wilcox exists outside the norm. Deserter, delinquent, or survivalist, he quietly roams, looking to put down roots or for what could simply be called freedom.

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Deep in the Quebec countryside, a once prosperous motel had fallen into disrepair before being turned into a retirement home. This thoughtful documentary explores the lives of its residents and how aging has altered the meaning of time for them. Quietly and without comment, director Jean-François Caissy follows 24 seniors over the course of five seasons, showing how their daily routines have become both very fixed and incredibly meaningful.

In scenes set behind closed doors that play out in real time, a fixed frame on adolescents being addressed by authority figures reveals the complexities of their daily lives. Conversely, seasonal outdoor activities like bridge diving, paintball and snowmobiling test unspoken boundaries of safety and beliefs of invincibility. Caissy masterfully allows silence to permeate scenes so that singular actions have great resonance. Almost half a century after Frederick Wiseman’s High School, Guidelines provides a fresh perspective on modern adolescents. The hairstyles have changed, but the rebelliousness remains.

Seated in the middle of a square room, choreographer Ginette Laurin looks back at revealing key aspects of her artistic process.

The caring yet bustling environment of a kindergarten serves as the anchor for this deep dive into early childhood. Structured to follow the gradual progression of ages on screen, the film takes us into the bubble of various children from ages 1 to 5, at a stage where the world seems to revolve around them, and self-awareness slowly shifts from 'I' to 'We’. Through these rarely filmed moments, human nature gradually takes shape. Kindergarten is the fourth film of a series about life's milestones.