Still from Manoir
Still from Manoir
 

Manor (Manoir)

by Martin Fournier & Pier-Luc Latulippe
With the pending closure of their housing centre Gaulin Manor, erstwhile patients of Saint-Hyacinthe psychiatric hospital are forced to reshuffle their lives.
2015  ·  1h23m  ·  Canada
English, French
English, French subs
About the Film
The old Gaulin Manor, that since 1990 has hosted former patients of the psychiatric hospital in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, is in its last days. About thirty souls live in this otherworldly establishment, filled with a contagious sadness. This alternative lodging space, 60 km from Montreal, proved to be their salvation after the wave of deinstitutionalization that one day threw them into the streets with no resources or medical care. Profit rules all, and so this motel at the world’s end will soon be destroyed to fill the pockets of promoters. Needless to say, the lives of these residents, already heavily taxed, will never be the same. MANOR, by Martin Fournier et Pier-Luc Latulippe, captures this turning of the page, where each lost character reshuffles their daily life in moving on to the next chapter. Shot over a long period of time with a small team, MANOR sets off to discover this unique place and its residents, struggling with drug addiction and various mental illnesses. Marginalized and left behind by their families, they all live in profound isolation, all the while receiving short- or long-term treatment, as rare as it is essential. There is Paul, haunted by the painful loss of his youthful love, who constantly hears voices; the mischievous Gilles, who rose to fame in the United States as a race car driver and today has lost everything; Nathalie, a boarder of native descent, who suffered the violence of men, but nonetheless shows generosity towards life and her surroundings; Philippe, the joyful joker, who keeps to himself, with a permanent smile on his lips; Johnny, the man with the golden voice, who missed out on his dreams of becoming a singer like his idol Elvis; and finally Michel, the Manor’s own music lover and philosopher, who finds refuge from depression in art and alcohol. Through thick and thin, these lost souls stick together through the sweetness and the pain of time passing by. With an eye to the little details, the film follows the path of these genuine beings of fragile identity who have a rich life history. Together, they create the soul of a place revealed to the camera through small sensitive touches. This documentary turns a clear and uncompromising eye at a marginalized fringe of reality that our society would rather pretend isn’t there. A subtle examination of how the common good is too often sacrificed on behalf of grand economic principles without regard for the human factor. With a double-purpose, MANOR proposes at once to journey towards the unknown and invites us to acknowledge the well-meaning humanity of these exiles who reveal themselves on the screen. In unveiling without exaggeration a rough reality of rugged twists and turns, where fragile beings cling to their memories and dreams, the film alights in the sharing of many moments of intimacy and solidarity. Lending an ear to these forgotten outcasts, abstaining from all judgement, MANOR is careful in framing these shadowy figures, bringing them to life in the light of our attention.
Upcoming Screenings

Stay tuned for upcoming screenings!

Festivals and Awards
2017
PCCQ, Prix collégial du cinéma québécois
Festival du film de Cracovie, Prix Silver Horn catégorie Long métrage documentaire international
Festival international du film Message to Men, Saint-Pétersbourg, Sélection officielle
Festival international du film francophone de Namur, Sélection officielle
Editor
JF Lord
Producer
Martin Fournier and Pier-Luc Latulippe
Sound Editor
Martin Allard
Soundtrack Composer
Claude Fradette
Cinematographer
Olivier Tétreault
Associate Producer
Patricia Bergeron
About the Director

Martin Fournier

Martin Fournier

Après des études en psychologie à Montréal et Ottawa, Martin Fournier devient travailleur de rue, puis intervenant en santé mentale en 1994. C’est à cette occasion qu’il met les pieds pour la première fois au Manoir Gaulin, où il traite certains résidents. En 1998, il s’inscrit à la Course Destination Monde à Radio-Canada et réalise un film sur un des anciens pensionnaires du Manoir qui lui vaut d’être choisi comme candidat. Après 5 mois de Course, il remporte le Grand Prix Radio-Canada-Sodec. Il décide alors de se consacrer à la réalisation et entreprend en 2002 le tournage d’un documentaire en anglais (Tuned to a Different Frequency ) sur Robert Lepage. En 2004, il forme le collectif Amerika Orchestra et tourne Daytona , un film sur des jeunes Québécois qui participent au Spring Break  aux États-Unis. Depuis, il a signé plusieurs séries documentaires pour la télévision. Manoir , son plus récent film coréalisé avec Pier-Luc Latulippe, est un projet qu’il portait en lui depuis près de dix ans.
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After his studies in psychology in Montreal and Ottawa, Martin Fournier began working on the streets, later becoming a social worker in mental health in Saint-Hyacinthe from 1994-1995. That is when he first set foot on the grounds of Gaulin Manor, where he treated some of the residents. In 1998, he applied to Course Destination Monde – Radio-Canada’s competitive film-making travel show – and made film on one of the Manor’s past inhabitants, which earned him a spot on the show. After a 4-month race, he won the Radio-Canada-Sodec Grand Prize. Following this, he began focusing on film-making. In 2002, he debuted his English-language documentary on Robert Lepage, Tuned to a Different Frequency , for the CBC. In 2004, he founded the collective Amerika Orchestra and filmed Daytona, a feature on young Quebecers celebrating Spring Break in the United States. He has since made several documentary series for TV. Manor, his most recent film, codirected with Pier-Luc Latulippe, is a project that he has been carrying around for nearly ten years.

 

Pier-Luc Latulippe

Pier-Luc Latulippe a étudié au Cégep de Jonquière où il a obtenu un diplôme en art et technologie des médias. Depuis, il a signé plusieurs courts métrages (Rives  et, plus récemment Fleuve ) et il travaille en publicité et à la télévision en tant que réalisateur-monteur. En 2013, son film Rives  est programmé à Regard sur le court au Saguenay, de même qu’aux Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois et dans la section Canada : Talent tout court, à Cannes. Il présente aujourd’hui Manoir, un long métrage documentaire coréalisé avec Martin Fournier.
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Pier-Luc Latulippe holds a Media Arts and Technology diploma from Cégep de Jonquière. He has since directed several short films (Edges and, most recently River). He works in advertising and television as a director/editor. In 2013, his film Edges was selected at the Regard sur le court au Saguenay short film festival, as well as at the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois and in Cannes’ section Canada : Talent tout court. His newest offering is Manor, a documentary feature film codirected with Martin Fournier, who has been carrying this project around for numerous years.

 

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