Aware that her father is not immortal, Virginie Francoeur, daughter of the famous poet and rocker Lucien Francoeur, felt the urgency to dedicate a film to him in which she allows herself to ask him questions that have long been on her mind Lips burned time. .
Rock’n’roll life, inner demons, drug problems, the joy of fatherhood… At 75, Lucien Francoeur, pioneer of the Quebec counterculture, confides to Francoeur with touching sincerity: We’re ending the rockers.
This documentary, co-directed by his daughter Virginie (along with Robbie Hart), will be shown in several Quebec cinemas on December 8th.
“I always wanted to make this film about my father, but it was urgent to do it because he had been having health problems recently,” explains Virginie Francoeur in an interview.
“A production team was already interested in making a film about him and my father put us in touch. Since I am his only daughter, I was the only one who could tell his story in this way. Because this film is also a personal search.”
Lucien Francoeur has not yet had the opportunity to see the film, which he will discover in a few days at the premiere in Montreal. Does he have any concerns about what he will see on screen?
“It doesn’t scare me because my daughter is responsible for it,” admits the poet and rocker. I know she won’t choose scenes that devalue me or don’t benefit me. I feel safe with her.”
Side trip
The film’s narrative is a road trip that Virginie and Lucien Francoeur took in California last year. Aboard a convertible Mustang, Lucien and his daughter traveled the legendary Route 101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, following in the footsteps of the literature of Henry Miller and the poetry of Jim Morrison.
“When he sat in the Mustang, it was like throwing a quarter into the jukebox: he immediately started telling fascinating stories!” says laughing Virginie Francoeur, who makes her living as a professor of change management at the Polytechnique.
“California has always been precious to my father and his poetry. His songs were influenced by this Americanism. When I was little we went there as a family because my grandparents settled there. By returning to California with my father, I wanted him to reconnect with his creation myths, but I also wanted to stimulate our imagination and return to these places of my childhood.
However, the trip almost didn’t take place. A few weeks before her departure date, Virginie Francoeur found her father lying on the floor of his apartment, apparently the victim of a heroin overdose.
“When he gave us this scare before he left, we wondered if we should show him in the film,” explains Virginie Francoeur.
“But I wanted to make a film that was true and authentic. We couldn’t just show my father’s good sides. Everyone knows he had a rock ‘n’ roll life. It was part of the film and it was part of the urgency of making it. During filming, we sometimes wondered if he would be able to finish the film. Today I’m really excited that we can see it together. I didn’t expect this at all when we started the project.”
PHOTO TOMA ICZKOVITS
Especially poets
Poet, rocker (and singer of the legendary group Aut’Chose), radio presenter, rapper (we remember his Rap-à-Billy), professor of literature at CEGEP… Lucien Francoeur wore several roles during his year and a half career.
In her film, Virginie Francoeur tried to show the multiple facets of her father by collecting testimonies from several artists who crossed his life, including his wife (and mother of Virginie), Claudine Bertrand, Michel Barrette, Biz and Jean-Paul Daoust.
“I wanted to show the artist, the father, the friend, the lover… It was a big challenge to bring all of that together in one film because my father had a very fragmented life,” emphasizes Virginie. Francoeur.
Despite all the roles he has taken on throughout his career, Lucien Francoeur still describes himself first and foremost as a poet.
“I want people to remember that I have reached the end of my poetic inspiration,” he implores. Much to my surprise, I received the Émile Nelligan Prize [en 1983]. I started with a pencil, a piece of paper and a poem. And it was powerful enough to change my life.”
Francoeur: We take care of the rockers well hits theaters on December 8th.