The Whistler Film Festival is a hotbed of Canadian talent and one of the films I’d spotted on the program that caught my attention was French Canadian director Maxime Giroux’s family drama Jo for Jonathan. The film, which centers on Jo, a young man who wants everything his brother has and takes steps to achieve it only to have it all end in tragedy, was a very controlled and powerful story with an outstanding lead performance from Raphaël Lacaille who took home best actor honours at the festival.

I was struck by the Giroux’s assured control of the story and his ability to tell it with silences and looks, avoiding unnecessary exchanges between the brothers. There’s a quiet, powerful approach to his film that reminded me of another talented French Canadian: Denis Villeneuve.

With a release in Montreal scheduled for March 18th, a French trailer for the film has appeared online and it beautifully captures the mood of the film. It’s unlikely the film will expand out of Quebec and heck, it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but Giroux is a great up-and-coming talent and a director to keep an eye out for in the future. This is definitely one to look for on DVD further down the road.

Trailer tucked under the seats.