Tunisian-born Myriam, a Sephardic beauty, lives in Montreal. Théo, her grad-student boyfriend, breaks up with her, and she's desolate. She house-sits for a friend for several weeks: during that time, her father arrives looking for her after 20 years, Théo realizes he misses her, and she meets the quirky Lou, a poetry-spouting squatter who introduces himself by clipping a lock of her hair during a movie; he later breaks into her flat to chat with her. She's angry with her father, confused by Théo, and delighted with Lou, whose free spirit and undemanding attention inspire her. Working out her feelings about her father gives her to key to decide what to do next.
Acting
Pascale Montpetit's Lou—unhinged, magnetic, somehow works.
Writing
Dialogue that trusts silence; emotions earned not explained.
Director
Michka Saäl
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a wave of 1990s Québécois cinema exploring diaspora identity; Saäl herself was born in France to Egyptian-Jewish parents, lending the father-daughter tension autobiographical weight.
The film's French title translates to 'The Snail's Position'—a reference to Lou's slow, persistent pursuit and Myriam's withdrawn state. It barely screened outside Canada.
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