You don’t have to be a geek who loves role-playing games or even a connoisseur of the cult short film that inspired the film to appreciate Farador, a feature film by Édouard A. Tremblay in theaters today (Friday). We are proof of that.
We don’t know anything about the world of role-playing games. But Farador tells a human story above all, which revolves closely around this game which, for the main characters, is essential. And human stories can touch everyone.
This is how this story of three friends seduces us, whose endless quest in the game testifies to their difficulty in moving forward in life. Charles, the game master, is a writer who searches for himself and prevents himself from advancing in life. Screenwriter and actor Éric K. Boulianne (The Diver, Viking) is in his first lead role here, in addition to co-writing the screenplay. Surrounded by Lucien Ratio (Feuilles mortes), Benoît Drouin-Germain (Before the crash), in the roles of the unbearable Guillaume and the strange but endearing Louis, Boulianne leads a convincing cast.
Added to the poster is the name of Catherine Brunet (December 23, Matthias and Maxime), in the role of Kim, Charles’s sister. Superb actress, Brunet plays here a primordial role in the film: that of the person who is not part of this world of geeks and who allows the spectator to obtain another perspective than that which concentrates around the gaming table in the basement of the three companions. Kim is also the one who will come to help her brother to move forward, the first step towards a collective awareness in the whole group of friends.
The original short film of just over 10 minutes, The Battle of Farador (2006), which can be found on YouTube, features a group of friends, role-playing enthusiasts. It is from this scene (which we find in part in the film by Édouard A. Tremblay) that the feature film is inspired, where a fantastic world unfolds in parallel to reality, each time the friends meet. launch into their game. The two worlds coexist well. The game’s Farador World is overrated, but that’s what makes it so charming.
Farador is funny, touching, a little clumsy at times, but rather well thought out. It is certain that it will not be able to please everyone. The universe is nested and if it is not necessary to understand it, it is however not necessarily easy to appreciate it. But some might be surprised giving it a chance.
