Antigone

The pretention of this film is to make us believe that it is a tragedy because it takes its title from a famous Greek tragedy and because the protagonists it shows bear Greek names picked from the tragedy. In 2020 it sounds absurd to have North African emigrants called Antigone, Ménécée, Ismène, or Étéocle!. More over the story ignores totally the original content of the tragedy. The result is an amateurish film badly acted and badly directed. The only positive aspect is the beauty of Nahema Ricci's facial expression. Unfortunately because of the inexperienced director her expression remains the same all along the movie.

In a Montreal suburb, the title character (Nahéma Ricci) is a teenage immigrant from Algeria living with her grandmother and three siblings. After her family faces a double tragedy, Antigone is determined to help a troubled family member even if this means making a great sacrifice. The film is an updated adaptation of the ancient Greek play by Sophocles.

The beginning sequences are very touching for not only revealing the troubles in the present but also the tragedies faced by the family before moving to Canada. The film's pivotal scene takes place in a prison. While the scene is bizarre to the point of being almost unbelievable, it deserves the benefit of the doubt as it is well orchestrated. To give the film further credit, scenes taking place in courtrooms and prisons have just the right amount of bleakness as they would in real life.

Later sections in the film are mixed, sadly with good intentions that go awry by taking on too much. Many subplots and issues are under-explored leaving an empty feeling by the end. Those that do work include a fascinating plot twist near the end that leaves the main character dumbfounded about her great intentions. Those that are less effective include a social media movement that unintentionally turns Antigone into a star. The sequences are entertaining but there's too little exposure of the origin of this movement. Also, the character of Antigone's boyfriend is so under-developed that he is downright annoying.

"Antigone" seems to have joined "Incindies" (2010) and "Monsieur Lazhar" (2011) to create a new film genre: the experiences of Middle Eastern/North African immigrants of tragic pasts integrating in the Montreal region. The earlier two films are stronger though "Antigone" certainly has its assets including a fiery lead performance by Ricci. - dbamateurcritic.

Canadian cinema, while of excellent quality, is not well enough known, unfortunately, even in Canada. We, Canadians are reluctant to toot our horn. While I understand modesty, not promoting enough real values is a serious shortcoming.

I am not a skilled review writer and I am afraid I will not do this film justice. But this film touched and awed me so much that, that I could not help it. I had to draw attention to it.

I would rank this film - in terms of depth, execution, impact, thoughtful script, acting - up there with La Strada and Zorba the Greek. It draws you in, it touches you, it leaves you thinking and feeling days and days afterwards. It is an honestly made film. It does not go for shock, easy answers, holier-than-though preaching, or political subtext. (The reviews who see political statements are WRONG.)

it starts with the 25 hundred years old story of Antigone, and, using it as a mold, tells us a story about a refugee family in Quebec. (By the way, do read the synopsis of the Greek tragedy before seeing this film. It gives you needed bearings.)

Hold on here for a moment. The moment the word "refugee" comes up, the sea parts along political lines and entrenched positions. No, they are just a family, and their refugee status does not make them "good" or "bad" or even different from the society around - it is just a backdrop for a millennia-old conundrum: who are we loyal to - the law of the land or the family blood? And how far we are ready to go. Different cultures may see different nuances.

Open your mind, open your heart, and go see this film.

Antigone is a naive teen, a good high school student, who idealizes and loves her two older brothers. Their family is a refugee from some violent middle-east area, arriving to Canada as small kids with their grandmother for sole support. Unbeknown to Antigone, her brothers are now small time criminals instrumental in the death of some other youth. During a police operation, one brother dies and the other can expect expulsion to his former country.

And that is intolerable to Antigone. No matter what her brothers could have done, one is dead and the other is to be repatriated. So she takes it onto herself to defy the justice and prison systems, to organise her remaining brother's escape and to take whatever rap happens. Her mind is now set, no matter what, to pursue its dramatic logic.

She could be defended in court like any other misguided juvenile delinquent. However her clever lawyer devises a crusader defence to shore up popular support. And the issue becomes should she follow the law of loyalty to her family members and those of society. Antigone makes her choice irrevocably, not acknowledging that it is the laws of her host society that have protected, fed, schooled and medically cared for her family from the moment they set foot in Canada. But the film doesn't make that acknowledgement either; it rather makes it look like cold white society set against poor migrants. And so, Sophocles' masterpiece is recuperated to advance the victimisation rhetoric of the time.

Sophocles' Antigone was a discussion of the dilemma between the necessity of applying laws to protect society versus the duty that one senses to accomplish another duty (family, religious, moral, etc.). This film is less interested in Sophocles' issues and more in showing how someone can lose all senses, and everything else, to pursue a noble if misguided aim. No service is paid to the idea that individuals make decisions that can destroy their families, not to mention their lives, and therefore they should act carefully and responsibly. And so, the film is mostly (good) show and little substance.

To anyone who has ever read or watched the tragedy of Antigone, this film is nothing but a cheap joke. They should have never dare a comparison, and if they hadn't, the film could be watchable, still very average, common, one dimensional, full of cliches, but watchable. Now it's insulting. The character of Antigone is only 50% of the tragedy. The other 50% is Creon, who guess what: he doesn't exist in the film! I guess it wasn't very easy to find an up to date parallel for him so they just ignored him... I'm actually begging: stop messing with the masters, Sophocles in this case, you can't beat them! 3 stars only for the powerful performance of young Antigone.