Antigone (2019 film)

Antigone is a 2019 Canadian drama film directed by Sophie Deraspe. An adaptation of the ancient Greek play Antigone by Sophocles, the film transposes the story to a modern-day refugee family in Montreal. The cast includes Nahéma Ricci as Antigone, with Rawad El-Zein, Hakim Brahimi, Rachida Oussaada, and Nour Belkhiria. It was filmed in Greater Montreal in 2018.

Antigone
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySophie Deraspe
Screenplay bySophie Deraspe
Based onAntigone
by Sophocles
Produced byMarc Daigle
StarringNahéma Ricci
Rawad El-Zein
Hakim Brahimi
Rachida Oussaada
Nour Belkhiria
CinematographySophie Deraspe
Edited byGeoffrey Boulangé
Sophie Deraspe
Music byJad Orphée Chami
Jean Massicotte
Production
company
Distributed byMaison 4:3
Release dates
  • 9 September 2019 (2019-09-09) (TIFF)[1]
  • 8 November 2019 (2019-11-08) (Quebec)[2]
Running time
109 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesFrench
Arabic

The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and received positive reviews. It won the Toronto International Film Festival Award for Best Canadian Film.

Antigone won five Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture, at the 8th Canadian Screen Awards in 2020.

Plot

In Quebec, the Hipponomes are a family of refugees from Kabylia, headed by grandmother Méni. Méni's grandchildren are Étéocle, Polynice, Ismène and Antigone; whose parents were killed before the family left their village. While Antigone achieves straight As in high school, Polynice descends into a life of crime with the street gang, the Habibis. One day, Polynice and Étéocle are playing jacks with friends when the police show up; Étéocle is shot and killed and Polynice is arrested for assaulting an officer in the aftermath. Through Antigone's friend Hémon, the Hipponomes meet Hémon's father Christian, a local politician. Christian tells them that with Polynice's criminal record and lack of citizenship, he will likely be deported. Antigone, concerned Polynice will never survive in their home country, decides to plot a prison escape. She reasons as a minor, she will escape jail time and pressures Ismène, an aspiring hairdresser, to cut her hair. Now resembling Polynice, Antigone visits the jail with Méni. There, Antigone and Polynice quickly trade clothes, and Polynice leaves with Méni while Antigone goes to Polynice's jail cell.

The prison officials discover the ploy; Antigone is arrested for aiding an escape and transferred to a women's prison. Méni is also arrested for aiding in the escape, to Antigone's horror. A police officer tells Antigone that Étéocle was also a member of the Habibis. Antigone intends to plead guilty, but the judge questions her understanding of the gravity of the situation and assigns her legal aid, with a lawyer named O'Neil. O'Neil warns Antigone about the dangers of a criminal record and shows her the debate on social media, where users are questioning if Antigone herself, is a Habibi. Antigone is upset and asserts she is only motivated by family loyalty, accepting O'Neil's representation. Hémon quits school to organize rallies in support of Antigone; supporters pack the courtroom and disrupt the proceedings with cellphone ringtones (identical to Hémon's ringtone), and Antigone professes her heart's desire to help her brother.

After Méni is bailed out of jail, Antigone's words about her heart go viral. Buoyed by the support, O'Neil asks the judge for a suspended sentence; however, the prosecutor calls an unexpected witness, Polynice. Polynice was arrested the previous night at a bar. Antigone becomes hysterical, questioning her brother why he risked what the family had sacrificed for, and disparaging the ceremonies of the court. The judge tells Antigone she is risking her chance at Canadian citizenship. Christian takes Antigone away from jail and offers to serve as her guardian, as Méni has decided to go back to her village with Polynice. Ismène is unwilling to go with them, still desiring a loan to start her own salon. Antigone and Hémon have sex. Later, Antigone, Méni and Polynice go to the airport, passing a young refugee family resembling themselves when they arrived. Antigone hears Hémon's ringtone and turns around.

Cast
Cast and characters of Antigone
ActorCharacterSophocles' analogue
Nahéma Ricci Antigone Hipponome Antigone[3]
Rawad El-Zein Polynice Hipponome Polynices[3]
Hakim Brahimi Étéocle Hipponome Eteocles[4]
Rachida Oussaada Méni Hipponome Menoeceus[4]
Nour Belkhiria Ismène Hipponome Ismene[4]
Antoine Desrochers Hémon Haimon[5]
Paul Doucet Christian Creon[5]
Jean-Sébastien Courchesne O'Neil

Production
Antigone by Frederic Leighton; the myth inspired the story.

An inspiration for the story was the 2008 death of Fredy Villanueva in Montreal, and an interview with Villanueva's sister director Sophie Deraspe heard.[6] Deraspe announced work on Antigone in 2016, when she was seeking funding. She explained her decision to adapt the play by Sophocles, saying the story of a woman who defies the law for something greater resonated with her, and she wished to update it (moving it to Montreal).[7][8] In May 2018 Telefilm Canada announced it would spend approximately $13 million to fund 10 Quebec films, including Antigone.[9] In December, it was awarded half of $380,000 funding from the Quebecor Fund for its Event and Film Production Assistance Program, with the other half going to another project, Mafia Inc. by Daniel Grou.[10]

Nahéma Ricci said she won the title role after participating in a long series of auditions to fill all the film's roles.[11] Deraspe particularly looked for novice actors in the process.[6] With 850 people looking to audition,[12] 300 auditioned over a period of three weeks.[13] The process also served to cast the Greek chorus, appearing on the streets and the Internet.[12]

Principal photography was scheduled for 5 May to 17 June 2018.[14] Filming took place in Greater Montreal.[15] Deraspe played piano for the film score.[16]

Release

The film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival,[17][18] and went to theatrical release in November 2019.[19] At TIFF, it won the festival's award for Best Canadian Film.[20]

On 20 September the film screened at Lido Cinema in Rimouski, Quebec to be eligible for consideration for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.[21]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[22]

For Now, Kelsey Adams called Antigone "heartbreaking" and "an incisive critique of the power imbalance between citizens and immigrants".[23] In La Presse, Marc-André Lussier praised Nahéma Ricci's acting.[21] Montreal Gazette writer Angelo Muredda compared the film's Antigone character to Joan of Arc, adding Ricci, in a "steely, star-making performance", somewhat resembles Maria Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Muredda also found parallels between the story and March for Our Lives and Black Lives Matter.[3] Cult MTL's review calls Antigone "sometimes powerful", but criticized what it called a "clumsy translation" of the ancient story to modern Quebec.[24] For Screen Daily, Allan Hunter called the film a "meaty, thought-provoking drama" and Ricci's performance "gutsy, committed", though suggesting she looked too old for her part.[25] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star called it one of the year's best films, praising Ricci's performance in particular.[26] Writing for Variety, Jessica Kiang positively commented the film endeavoured to capture the spirit of Sophocles' play rather than the letter, adding it was "further electrified" by Ricci.[27] The Globe and Mail's Justine Smith noted Sophocles' play had previously been re-imagined to make statements on fascism, the counterculture movement and other subjects.[28]

Accolades

In addition to winning Best Canadian Film at TIFF, Ricci was named one of the year's "Rising Stars".[12] Antigone was also selected as the Canadian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but was not nominated.[29]

On 8 December 2019, the film was named by the Toronto Film Critics Association as a finalist for the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award.[30] On 11 December, the film was named to TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list.[31]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Canadian Screen Awards 28 May 2020 Best Motion Picture Marc Daigle Won [32][33]
Best Director Sophie Deraspe Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Won
Best Actress Nahéma Ricci Won
Best Supporting Actress Nour Belkhiria Won
Best Editing Sophie Deraspe and Geoffrey Boulangé Won
Best Overall Sound Stéphane Bergeron Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2–13 January 2020 FIPRESCI Prize for International Screenplay Special Mention Sophie Deraspe Won [34]
Prix collégial du cinéma québécois 2020 Best Film Antigone Won [35]
Prix Iris 10 June 2020 Best Film Marc Daigle Won [36][37]
Best Director Sophie Deraspe Won
Best Screenplay Won
Revelation of the Year Nahéma Ricci Won
Best Casting Sophie Deraspe, Isabelle Couture, Pierre Pageau, Daniel Poisson Won
Best Editing Geoffrey Boulangé, Sophie Deraspe Won
Best Original Music Jean Massicotte, Jad Orphée Chami Nominated
Most Successful Film Outside Quebec Sophie Deraspe, Marc Daigle Nominated
Toronto International Film Festival 5–15 September 2019 Best Canadian Film Sophie Deraspe Won [20]
Toronto Film Critics Association 8 December 2019 Best Canadian Film Sophie Deraspe Runner-up [38]

See also

References
  1. "Antigone". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  2. Tremblay, Odile. ""Antigone" de Sophie Deraspe triomphe au TIFF". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  3. Muredda, Angelo (5 December 2019). "Review: Quebecois remix of Antigone gives ancient story an aggressively modern facelift". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  4. Dunlevy, T'Cha (8 November 2019). "From Greek tragedy to Bill 21, Quebec film Antigone bridges millenniums". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 30 April 2020. Deraspe maintains Sophocles's original Greek names for the characters in her film, which details the tribulations of a family of refugees.
  5. "Sophocles migrates to modern Montreal in fabulous Antigone". The Georgia Straight. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  6. "La droiture d'Antigone, de Sophie Deraspe" (in French). Radio-Canada. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  7. Roy, Marie-Josée (19 February 2016). "Sophie Deraspe amènera Antigone au cinéma québécois (Entrevue)". The Huffington Post (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  8. Wilner, Norman (31 July 2019). "TIFF 2019: Canadian lineup includes films by Ellen Page, Alanis Obomsawin". Now. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  9. "Telefilm Canada funds 10 French-Language Feature Films". Telefilm Canada. 3 May 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  10. Malyk, Lauren (20 December 2018). "Attraction Images, Caramel Films wrap production on Mafia Inc". Playback. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  11. Lussier, Marc-André (10 September 2019). "TIFF: percussive Antigone". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  12. "Antigone représentera le Canada pour l'Oscar du meilleur film international" (in French). Radio-Canada. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  13. Papineau, Philippe (21 September 2019). "'Antigone' rêve aux Oscar". Le Devoir (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  14. Duchesne, André (28 April 2018). "Dans Les Coulisses D'antigone". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  15. Bergeron, Kim (1 May 2018). "Quatrième long métrage pour la Madelinienne Sophie Deraspe" (in French). Radio-Canada. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  16. Steuter-Martin, Marilla (16 November 2019). "Montreal film Antigone borrows from Greek tragedy, death of Fredy Villanueva". CBC News. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  17. Hertz, Barry (31 July 2019). "TIFF 2019: Toronto festival's Canadian lineup a mix of familiar faces, exciting rookies and a starring role for David Cronenberg". The Globe and Mail.
  18. "Le film Antigone, de Sophie Deraspe, en première mondiale au TIFF". Ici Radio-Canada. 31 July 2019.
  19. "Antigone de Sophie Deraspe en salle le 8 novembre". Films du Québec. 4 July 2019.
  20. Vlessing, Etan (15 September 2019). "Toronto: Taika Waititi's 'Jojo Rabbit' Wins Audience Award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  21. Lussier, Marc-André (20 September 2019). "Antigone représentera le Canada aux Oscars". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  22. "Antigone". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  23. Adams, Kelsey (5 September 2019). "TIFF review: Antigone". Now. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  24. "Soderbergh, Kore-eda and more on day 5 of TIFF". Cult MTL. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  25. Hunter, Allan (6 October 2019). "'Antigone': Busan Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  26. Howell, Peter (5 December 2019). "Here's why 'Antigone' is one of the best films of 2019". Toronto Star.
  27. Kiang, Jessica (7 October 2019). "Film Review: 'Antigone'". Variety. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  28. Smith, Justine (2 December 2019). "When your breakout film needs a shout-out to Sophocles". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  29. Vlessing, Etan (20 September 2019). "Oscars: Canada Selects Sophie Deraspe's 'Antigone' Refugee Drama for International Feature Film Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  30. "'Parasite' big winner at Toronto Film Critics Association Awards". Toronto Star. 8 December 2019.
  31. Wilner, Norman (11 December 2019). "TIFF announces Canada's top 10 films of 2019". Now.
  32. Wilner, Norman (18 February 2020). "Canadian Screen Awards 2020: Prepare for a Schitt's show". Now.
  33. Weaver, Jackson (28 May 2020). "Antigone named best picture on final night of Canadian Screen Awards". CBC News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  34. Beresford, Trilby (11 January 2020). "Russia's 'Beanpole' Wins Best International Feature at Palm Springs Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  35. "Antigone remporte le Prix collégial du cinéma québécois". Ici Radio-Canada, April 15, 2020.
  36. "Prix Iris 2020: «Il pleuvait des oiseaux» et «La femme de mon frère» partent favoris". The Huffington Post (in French). 23 April 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  37. "Finalistes et laureats" (in French). Prix Iris. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  38. "Toronto film critics award 'The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open'". The Canadian Press. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
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