August 32nd on Earth(French:Un 32 août sur terre,and also known as32nd Day of August on Earth) is a 1998 Canadiandrama filmdirected and written byDenis Villeneuve,in hisfeature film directorial debut,and produced byRoger Frappier.It was screened in theUn Certain Regardsection at the1998 Cannes Film Festival.[1]Alexis Martin won thePrix Jutrafor Best Actor. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for theBest Foreign Language Filmat the71st Academy Awards,but was not nominated.[2][3]
| August 32nd on Earth | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Denis Villeneuve |
| Written by | Denis Villeneuve |
| Produced by | Roger Frappier |
| Starring | Pascale Bussières Alexis Martin |
| Cinematography | André Turpin |
| Edited by | Sophie Leblond |
Release date |
|
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | French English |
Plot
editIn the aftermath of a highway mishap, photo model Simone (Pascale Bussières) decides that conceiving a baby with her best friend Philippe (Alexis Martin) is the only way to give her vacant life some meaning. Philippe reluctantly agrees with the proviso that they conceive in a desert.
Cast
edit- Paule Baillargeonas Doctor in hospital
- Emmanuel Bilodeauas Philippe's best friend
- Pascale Bussièresas Simone Prévost
- R. Craig Costin as Hired car clerk
- Joanne Côté as Monica
- Frédéric Desageras Stéphane
- Estelle Esse as Leather shop clerk
- Lee C. Fobert as Car driver – Salt Lake City
- Venelina Ghiaourov as Nurse
- Richard S. Hamilton as Taxi driver
- Marc Jeanty as Janvier
- Alexis Martinas Philippe
- Évelyne Rompréas Juliette
- Ivan Smithas Doctor
- Serge Thériaultas Car driver
- Jim Levesque as Customer in café
Reception
editMetacriticassigned the film a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Brendan Kelly ofVarietypraised the film's visuals, the lead performances, the "sparing but effective" use of musical tracks by Quebec iconsRobert CharleboisandJean Leloup,but Kelly criticized the "thin" storyline, saying it "simply doesn't have the goods to keep audiences interested over the long-haul."[5]Time Outequally praised the striking visuals, but called the film "an intriguing but only partly successful oddity...never really adding up to very much at all."[6]Reelfilm gave the film two out of four stars, saying it was "a sporadically intriguing yet mostly self-indulgent first film from a director who would go onto much better things."[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Festival de Cannes:August 32nd on Earth".Festival-Cannes.Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2013.Retrieved4 October2009.
- ^Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^"45 Countries Submit Films for Oscar Consideration".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.19 November 1998. Archived fromthe originalon 19 February 1999.Retrieved20 October2015.
- ^"August 32nd on Earth".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on 18 December 2023.Retrieved27 December2024.
- ^Kelly, Brendan (21 May 1998)."August 32nd on Earth".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2022.Retrieved24 October2022.
- ^GA."August 32nd on Earth".Time Out Worldwide.Archivedfrom the original on 24 October 2022.Retrieved24 October2022.
- ^"The Films of Denis Villeneuve - Reviews by David Nusair".reelfilm.Archivedfrom the original on 22 November 2022.Retrieved24 October2022.