Three men from different generations are at a crossroads and will have to redefine themselves overnight to move on to the next stage of their lives.
What a nice surprise that this first feature film by Sherbrooke resident Anh Minh Truong, Of Men, at Night. A choral film with both humorous and dramatic flavors, which explores masculinity from several angles without ever falling into cliché or adopting a moralizing tone.
The three protagonists are amusingly endearing and we accompany them with great pleasure in their respective quests which will last from evening to morning, neither more nor less. While Louis (Matai Stevens) spends an incredible night with the irreverent Billie Jeans (Jade Charboneau) and Steve (Jean-Moïse Martin) escapes from the hospital during the birth of his first child, Michel (Pierre Verville) has an unlikely encounter with a woman with a troubled past (Édith Cochrane) whose secrets will be revealed as the story unfolds.
At the heart of this sensitive and benevolent work, the theme of the quest for identity. The characters created by Anh Minh Truong and his co-writer Steve B. Bernard are rich in nuance, and the acting of the performers lives up to their roles. Obviously very well directed, they each in turn offer moments of grace, sometimes without even saying a word, as their faces are dictated by emotion.
From dusk to dawn, Anh Minh Truong starts from commonplaces, from rites of passage that anyone can relate to, to finally lead us to unpredictable and touching endings, passing through moments of hilarity.
The cinematography by Vincent Biron (Bungalow, Le Vingtième Siècle) further enriches the interiority of the characters with skilful and attentive close-ups. We recognize the Estrie landscapes, highlighted throughout the night trip.
Particular attention has been paid to the soundtrack, each song of which is painstakingly paired with each of the film’s key scenes. When Myriam (Édith Cochrane) strolls through a bar on Provocante, by Marjo, or when Steve confides his love troubles on Saskatchewan, by Les Trois Accords, we can only say that Des hommes, la nuit has received a lot of love from the from its craftsmen.
