The next time you hear someone call Quebecers xenophobic, say one word to them: Ru.
• Read also: The film “Ru” is close to $2 million at the box office
Like the title of the film by Charles-Olivier Michaud, based on the novel by Kim Thuy, which grossed $1.75 million at the Quebec box office.
This story of solidarity between “natives” and “immigrants” should shut the mouths of many annoying people who want us to believe that we are fundamentally intolerant.
AN OPEN QUEBEC
The fact that Ru will soon amass two million at the box office should delight us. Quebecers have adopted this film, just as they have adopted the book, as they have adopted Kim Thuy, as they have adopted, with open arms, the people on boats Vietnamese in the 70s and 80s.
Ru shows us in a positive light. It’s a change from films (or shows or editorials) that look down on the average Quebecer and his so-called “withdrawal into himself.”
I loved the scene where the neighbors come to bring spaghetti sauce and shepherd’s pie to Kim Thuy’s family who just arrived. These dishes sit in the fridge along with dozens of other shepherd’s pie and spaghetti sauce dishes.
Another scene made me smile. When the Quebec family sponsoring the Vietnamese family members settles them into their new apartment, the father tells them: “The first three months’ rent has already been paid.” Yes, we didn’t have a housing shortage problem in the 1980s!
The duty told us in December that “about fifty primary school pupils, a third of whom were newcomers to the French class, had the opportunity to see the film Ru at the cinema with Kim Thúy and Charles-Olivier Michaud.
“Your film allowed these children who came from elsewhere to see themselves on the screen and to discover Quebec. As if we were telling them: “You are at home here”, one of the teachers told the two creators.
SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION
Radio-Canada recently premiered the documentary At a cinema near you hosted by Karine Vanasse, which aimed to “replace” the defunct Gala Québec Cinéma.
In this documentary, which you can watch for free on ici.tou.tv, Kim Thuy’s real family (her father, mother and two brothers) looks Ru for the first time.
After seeing the film that tells the story of his life, Kim Thuy’s father testifies, in tears: “Thank you for opening your arms to us.”
All the goodwill and open-mindedness of Quebecers towards “the Other” is in this scene of the documentary, where we see Karine Vanasse and Kim Thuy shed a tear together as they think about the journey they have undertaken.
It was Karine Vanasse, years ago, who gave a notebook to Kim Thuy (then owner of the restaurant) so she could write a book. She took notes there, which became the book Ru. Years later, it’s not just Karine Vanasse who plays Ru (she plays the Quebec mother who supported Kim’s family), but in addition she hosts a show about Quebec cinema… where she presents the film. We can say that the circle has closed!
2024-01-24 00:30:00
#xenophobic