As always with Guy Édoin, the script is interesting in what it reveals about the characters.
And those characters are female, “Frontières” revolves around Diane Messier (Pascale Bussières), her daughter Sarah (Mégane Proulx) and her two sisters, Carmen (Christine Beaulieu) and Julie (Marilyn Castonguay).
Diane has been taking care of the family farm since her father died. Located near the American border, the residence is that of four women who are quickly kept at bay due to the presence of refugees. At the same time, Diane’s mental state deteriorates to the point where she believes the house is haunted and Angèle (Micheline Lanctôt) is called in to help.
Shot in the filmmaker’s Eastern Townships, Frontières is above all an exploration of the limits (hence the title) of the human psyche, those of paranoia, family love and madness. If, given such a description, we could expect a chaotic feature film, Guy Édoin’s amateur cinephiles know it won’t be. The director aims a steady – and gentle – camera at this earth cloaked in dark colors.
The role of Pascales Bussières is obviously reminiscent of that of Marie Santerre in “Marécages”, as if the actress continues to explore the facets – quite different, of course – of this moving, strong and fragile rurality that is part of our DNA.