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The Stone of Folly (Canada : les Visiteurs du soir / Canada: Evening Visitors)

Stop-motion: Canada: Evening Visitors

Overview
Description
Films

Canadian animation of today is a rich and diverse creation but remains rather dark, that's what this programme brings to light.

The beginning of the 21^st century was marked by a sudden rise in puppet animation in Canada, bringing with it a new generation of filmmakers whose dark and sometimes violent films were meant for adults. In Quebec, The Brainwashers by Patrick Bouchard triggered a new wave with its shady nocturnal universe, while in English-speaking Canada, Jesse Rosensweet was finishing The Stone of Folly.

Whereas Rosensweet confirmed what kind of object his characters were with mechanical gestures, Patrick Bouchard exploited the organic nature of his puppets. Thus, if the former gave his films an aloof, playful charm, the latter conceived his with affection, developing a body of work inspired by the films of Švankmajer and the Quay brothers.

In their wake emerged Frédérick Tremblay whose work explored the subconscious tensions that govern our behaviour: agony of creation and depression (The Drawer and the Crow), craving and fear of death (White Strawberry). Dominic Étienne Simard, in Chromosome (X-Y-Z), addressed the creation as well as procreation, as Claire Brognez's Daisy was born, then born again.