Almost 10 years to the day after the release of bunkerWith his second feature film, director Patrick Boivin presents a children's film that examines the topic of grief from the perspective of a 10-year-old boy with limitless imagination.
Presented last weekend at the opening of the Montreal International Children's Film Festival, Écho à Delta follows the adventures of 10-year-old Étienne (Isak Guinard Butt), who sets out to prove to his friends that the disappearance of his 7-year-old brother was caused by aliens.
Patrick Boivin, a former member of the Phylactère Cola collective, grew up with the first Conte pour tous and the American family adventure films of the 1980s and wanted to make a genre film that would appeal to both children and adults. their parents.
“This is an idea that I've had in my head for a long time, especially since I'm a father of two children myself,” explains the 49-year-old filmmaker.
“I know their tastes and, as a parent, I have an idea of what I want to see with them. My children are 12 and 14 years old and we mainly go to the Hollywood cinema because they often have something suitable for everyone. That’s part of what we tried to do with this project.”
References
Parents of Patrick Boivin's generation will recognize in “Écho à Delta” several references from the cinema of their childhood, from “La Guerre des toques” to “ET” and “Explorers”, a classic of family science fiction cinema from the 1980s with Ethan Hawke and the late River Phoenix.
“It's an era that I miss in terms of family cinema,” admits Patrick Boivin. It's not for nothing that a series like “Stranger Things” is so successful. We miss films like these in which young people go on a journey of discovery with all their beautiful naivety.”
Although the elements of science fiction and adventure are very present in Echo in Delta, the film's plot is based on a dramatic event that upsets young Étienne's family. Together with his co-author Jean-Daniel Desroches, Patrick Boivin wanted to explore the theme of grief, a topic that is rarely addressed in family cinema.
“I notice that children and adults don't see the same film,” observes the filmmaker. During the film, adults cry while the young people are engrossed in what is happening and firmly believe in the alien story. It’s interesting to see.”
Echo in Delta, in cinemas from March 1st