Year: 1992
Language: French
Format: 35mm Colour
Runtime: 92 min
Director: Robert Morin
Producer: Lorraine Dufour, Nicole Robert
Executive Producer: Nicole Robert
Writer: Robert Morin
Cinematographer: James Gray
Editor: Lorraine Dufour
Sound: Marcel Chouinard
Music: Jean Corriveau
Cast: Gildor Roy, Brigitte Paquette, Sabrina Boudot, Stéphan Côté, Jean-Guy Bouchard
Production Company: Coop Vidéo de Montréal

Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur depicts the last three days in the life of an east-end Montreal criminal as seen through the eyes of eight different people. Serving twenty-five years in prison, Reggie Savoie (Gildor Roy) is seeing his son for the first time in five years when, in the middle of their tender reunion, a prison escape occurs and Reggie busts out. On the loose – with more of a devil-may-care attitude than ever – Reggie tortures lawyers, gets even with the snitch who turned him in and lives the high life with his cronies and girlfriend, all the while eluding the massive police search bearing down on him.

Robert Morin, in his feature directing debut, tells this tale of modern-day crime and punishment in a series of flashbacks and flashforwards while also slipping regularly into a subjective, documentary-style point of view that takes us inside the perceptions of Reggie’s crew – all of whom would rather see Reggie back behind bars. An engaging and audacious film, Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur won the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 1992 Toronto International Film Festival® and was named best Quebec feature film of the year at the Rendez-vous du cinema québécois. It also earned Genie nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Supproting Actor (Jean-Guy Bouchard) Best Lead Actor (Roy).

By: Andrew McIntosh