Ghost Town Anthology () is a 2019 French-language Canadian supernatural drama film written and directed by Denis Côté. Based on Laurence Olivier’s short novel of the same name, it follows a small Quebec village unsettled by a teenager’s death and strange apparitions. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was selected for the Competition section and was a Golden Bear contender.
Synopsis Set in the small Quebec village of Irénée-les-Neiges, the film centres on a community after local teenager Simon Dubé dies in a car accident. As Simon’s family and the wider town are shaken by his death, residents begin to notice strange figures around the village.
Cast The cast includes:
Robert Naylor as Jimmy Dubé Josée Deschênes as Gisèle Dubé Jean-Michel Anctil as Romuald Dubé Larissa Corriveau as Adèle Diane Lavallée as Simone Smallwood Rémi Goulet as André Jocelyne Zucco as Louise Normand Carrière as Richard Hubert Proulx as Pierre Rachel Graton as Camille
Production The film was produced by Couzin Films. It was Côté's first adaptation of a literary work, based on Laurence Olivier’s short novel of the same name. Filming took place over 26 days in February and March 2018 in Montérégie. The film had an approximate budget of C$2.1 million.
Festival screenings The film had its world premiere on 11 February 2019 at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was selected for the Competition section and was a Golden Bear contender.
Reception
Critical response Jay Weissberg of Variety described Ghost Town Anthology as an intimate and unsettling film that “approaches narrative elliptically”. He wrote that Côté was less interested in resolving the film’s mysteries than in following the emotional effect of the questions they raise.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a “low-key mood piece” with enough ambiguity to hold interest, but found it “too subdued for genre fans” and “too psychologically thin” for more art-film-oriented audiences.
Geoff Andrew of Sight and Sound described the film as “a genuinely intriguing and for the most part rewarding study” of how an unexpected death affects a small, inward-looking rural community. He wrote that Côté does not take the story in the direction of a horror movie, instead focusing on how people cope with mortality, loss, and the possibility that the dead do not entirely disappear.
Wendy Ide of The Guardian described it as an “elegantly unnerving drama” in which supernatural visitations unsettle an insular rural community. She wrote that the film’s themes included hostility toward strangers and territorialism, while its deeper mystery remained unresolved.
Awards and nominations AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultCanadian Screen Awards28 May 2020Best Supporting Actress Larissa CorriveauBest Adapted Screenplay Denis CôtéPrix Iris2 June 2019Best FilmZiad ToumaBest ActressJosée DeschênesBest Supporting ActressLarissa CorriveauBest DirectorDenis CôtéBest Art DirectionMarie-Pier FortierBest CastingDenis CôtéBest CinematographyFrançois Messier-RheaultBest Costume DesignCaroline BodsonBest HairDominique T. HasbaniBest MakeupDominique T. Hasbani
References
External links