Théo (Anthony Therrien) and Mag (Rose-Marie Perreault) meet after a punk show on Théo’s 18th birthday. Romance sparks, friendship and love quickly follow, and the two must decide how to go forward as summer draws to a close.
It is a simple premise, but Fake Tattoos uses that to its benefit making it one of the best films I have seen in a long time. This debut feature from writer-director Pascal Plante is a joy to watch. Set in Montréal, the story is economical, smart and contemporary. With two incredibly charming characters at the centre of the narrative, the film has the quiet and relaxed feeling of spending time with friends.
The characters and relationships are complicated, but Plante uses the actors to convey these intricacies rather than relying on the script to spell things out. The performances are mesmerizing, with the cast doing an expert job of inhabiting their roles. Mag and Théo have a great “meet cute” (one that is absolutely enhanced by their speaking French) and watching their relationship evolve is a delight. The dialogue is equally captivating – so graceful and easy – the conversations range from hilarious to emotional; always believable, and yet entertaining.
With warm cinematography, great music, and Montréal in the summer as the backdrop, Fake Tattoos is a lovely way to spend a couple of hours.
Fake Tattoos screens Tuesday, April 17 at 9:15 p.m. and Saturday, April 21 at 2 p.m. at the Globe Cinema as part of this year’s Calgary Underground Film Festival. For tickets and the complete schedule please click here.
Jane McCullough used to write about many things musical, artistic, cinematic and delicious with the publications VOX and Fast Forward. She is currently manages the cooking school at The Cookbook Co. Cooks.
