(Canada, 82 min.)
Written and directed by Hugo Latulippe
Programme: Canadian Spectrum
 |
| Photo: Esperasmos Films. |
Alphée of the Stars (aka
Alphée des étoiles in its original
French) is a touching and affectionately intimate tale. Candid and poignant,
insightful and sweet, it’s easy to see why this endearing doc was a box office
smash in Québec and went on to score nominations for Best Documentary at this
year’s Canadian Screen Awards and Jutra Awards alike. Father/filmmaker Hugo
Latulippe observes his five-year-old daughter Alphée with hopes that she can
grow up and leave a normal, happy life in spite of the developmental challenges
she faces due to a rare genetic disorder. Alphée was born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz
Syndrome, which impedes her neurological and muscular development. The tests on
whether Alphée’s condition warrants special education programs at school are
inconclusive, so her parents must look at their daughter objectively and
determine her outlook on life.
Alphée of the Stars
sees the family travel to Switzerland, where retreat to the childhood getaway
of Alphée’s mother and evaluate whether Alphée can indeed function in a
classroom full of average children. Latulippe and his wife, Laure, give Alphée
a regime that would be typical for a beginning student. They practice her
counting, they rehearse her elocution, and they play question and answer games.
Although Alphée frequently pauses on her answers or struggles to enunciate clearly
the thoughts running through her mind, Alphée
of the Stars shows that its young subject acts quite normally for a girl of
her age. She’s giddy, spirited, intuitive, and energetic, as kids should be in
their pre-school years.
Latulippe does a commendable job of detaching his role as
Alphée’s father with his role as her documentarian. There’s an especially
striking scene towards the middle of the film that sees Latulippe follow his
daughter as she goes on an outdoor retreat with a group of kids her age. Trailing
Alphée by only a few feet, the camera watches as a boy in the group approaches
Alphée twice to pull her wool cap over her face and taunt her that she cannot
see. Viewers might initially feel uncomfortable as they watch Alphée be bullied
just feet away from her father without seeing an arm reach from outside the
frame to pull the boy away. It’s important that Latulippe doesn’t intervene,
though, as the scene shows Alphée deal with the situation with far more
patience and grace than most children would. The director also made a sharp
observation during the post-screening Q&A that not once does Alphée look in
the camera’s direction for aid. She knows how to take care of herself.
Additionally, Alphée’s teacher poses a question to the class
regarding a missing item and Alphée is the only child to respond even though
the boy is in the midst of taunting her. Alphée is therefore a perceptive child
and one who is aware of her environment. The scene also ends with a fellow
classmate coming to Alphée’s aid and helping her with her backpack, which shows
that Alphée is equally susceptible to kindness and compassion. The schoolyard
dynamics are much the same for her as they are for other kids.
Shot with a charm and whimsical feel against the dazzling backdrop
of the Swiss forests and mountains, Alphée
of the Stars gives audiences a candid insight into the development of this
young child. As Latulippe observes his daughter and occasionally comments on
her condition in voiceover, the film draws attention to the pros and cons of
our public education systems and asks the audience which options are the wisest
for Alphée’s future. The film’s playful, humanist approach to Alphée’s
childhood shows the audience that they need not think of “disability” as synonymous
with “disadvantaged”. By injecting the film with Alphée’s fantastical joie de vivre, Alphée of the Stars affords its young heroine a sunny outlook.
Rating: ★★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Screens:
Saturday, May – 3:30pm at the ROM
Please visit www.hotdocs.ca
for more information on films, tickets, and show times.
Update: Alphee of the Stars is now available on home video (incl. iTunes).
