Un nouveau financement fédéral soutient la formation de la prochaine génération de professionnels bilingues et améliore l’accès aux soins pour les communautés francophones, notamment dans les provinces de l’Atlantique.
Recevoir des soins de santé dans sa langue ne devrait pas être un luxe — c’est un droit fondamental. Pour les communautés francophones vivant en contexte minoritaire, l’accès à des services de santé en français demeure un défi quotidien aux conséquences bien réelles. Le 22 juillet 2025, à Moncton au Nouveau-Brunswick, le gouvernement du Canada a annoncé un investissement de plus de 78 millions de dollars sur cinq ans afin d’améliorer l’accès aux services de santé en français dans les communautés francophones minoritaires.
LES FEMMES EN OR (Two Women) (Canada 2025) *** Directed by Chloé Robichaud
Violette and Florence no longer understand what's happening to them. Respectively on maternity leave and off work, one is on edge, the other feels nothing. The neighbours are both consumed by a sense of failure: despite their careers and families, they're not happy. Florence's first infidelity will be a revelation. What if happiness meant rebelling against our rigid, performance-driven society? In a context where having fun is far down the list of priorities, sleeping with a delivery man might be downright revolutionary. For Violette and Florence, it will be the breath of fresh air they've been hoping for.
The film begins with Violette complaining to her husband that she hears the sound of a crow. She mimics the sound, which could also sound like a couple in the midst of their lovemaking. She is so obsessed with the sound that she confronts her neighbour, Florence, about it, which is, as the audience assumes, that they met.
The film about liberal women feels like this, which was very common in the 70s - films like AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, LA LUNA, and DIARY OF A MAD HOUSEWIFE. The film could have been two separate films as they deal with two women, but the two women interact from the very beginning, and even their male counterparts interact. If one could say that the film is set in the 70s, the answer is no, as there is a segment where Violette’s partner uses his cellular in the toilet.
The film is very much a female tale told by females with a large female perspective. But at least the males are not treated as idiots, and at times they are right in their arguments over the women, as in the one where Violette sells her husband’s fishing gear with his guitar following.
If there is a message delivered in the star, it is that women have to be sexually satisfied in order to be happy, especially in a relationship, regardless of whether the sex is between the partner or with someone else. There is a discussion that monogamy is designed by society to satisfy the needs of men, o ugly men will never have enough women and will create trouble otherwise. The two femmes of the story go to great lengths in order to find sex, be it hiring outside help like a partner or pest exterminators and then have sex after securing them. They also go to the bars, get drunk, dance and seduce the males at the establishment,
In the case of the two women, the partners appear satisfied with the arrangement, though unaware that their partners are having sex with others, and their relationship, but glad that all is going well.
The film is shot in Quebec, mainly in winter when there is heavy snow all around, the atmosphere adding to the coldness of the women’s situations.
The film begins to drag a bit towards the end, once all the characters have been introduced and their idiosyncrasies revealed. Still, this is a free-spirited flowing film including anything that can happen.
TWO WOMEN opens this week at the TIFF Lightbox with a May 27 post-screening Q&A with director Chloé Robichaud.
LES BARBARES (MEET THE BARBARIANS) (France 2024) ****
Directed by Julie Delpy
Actress Julie Delpy (star of films by Godard, Kieslowski and Linklater) directs her own film, proving herself totally apt and a force to be reckoned with. She centres her sights on comedy with a message with a film that matters that she delivers in style with lots of hilarity, drama and a bit of satire. The story is set in Paimpont, a small town in France, preparing to welcome a Ukrainian refugee family and is surprised when a Syrian family shows up instead. Every town has its patriots, loyalists and racists, all of whom show their influence on the Syrian family, but that is not perfect as well. Delpy shows the good and bad of both sides with a touching romance between the young Syrian teen in the family and a local French boy to bridge the gap of racism. It might be too obvious, but the ploy works. And the town actually exists. Paimpont sits nestled in Brittany, content with its centuries-old heritage, its crêpes (the Brittany people cook everything with lots of butter, which is also incorporated in the script), and its flattering self-image—a marvellous surprise from Delpy.
In LES BARBARES, director Delpy balances the comedy and drama of the film very well.The comedy and drama both derive from the cultural differences of France and Syria.Both are also accomplished in segments, well put together, as in the best one, where the two Syrian children go to the French school for their very first time.They meet the white kids, one of whom says: ‘Do not look them in he eye,' as all of them face downwards and the Syrian girl and her younger brother arrive. The drama is largely derived from the family searching and waiting for news of their missing brother, Farid.
I have seen the film twice, initially when it premiered at TIFF and again currently when it got a commercial release.The film was entirely enjoyable at TIFF, especially when watching a comedy for a change during a week when I watch 5 films a day.I did not find the film that funny the second time, though the film still managed to elicit quite a few laugh-out-loud laughs from me.
A few good jokes here, especially with the village receiving information that they are getting a Syrian instead of a Ukrainian family.“I already learn to make borscht,” says one. Ukrainians are high on the refugee list, and they ran out of Ukrainians.
And what does the Syrian family and the French village talk about?“Isn’t it not too cold here?”the Syrians are asked, who then say to each other: “All they do is ask about the weather.”
But the film’s best is the segment in which Mdm. Joelle’s class of students each talks about what racism is to them.‘Leading to suicide from non-confidence, fear of the unknown, hatred of people who are different, etc.’ are a few of the responses.
MEET THE BARBARES is a funny and entertaining French comedy, the best of what commercial French films have to offer, while delivering a powerful message about refugees and living together in harmony in a light and effective way.
LOST BULLET 3 (LAST BULLET (Bolle Perdue 3) (France 2025) *** Directed by Guillaume Pierret
LAST BULLET begins with a short recap of the films and incidents that lead to the final instalment of LAST BULLET or LOST BULLET 3.
The "Lost Bullet" franchise consists of three French action thriller films directed by Guillaume Pierret and starring Alban Lenoir. The first movie, "Lost Bullet," was released in 2020, followed by "Lost Bullet 2: Back for More" in 2022, and finally "Last Bullet" was released on May 7, 2025.
The breakdown of the franchise:
"Lost Bullet" (2020): A small-time delinquent, Lino is forced to become a police mechanic for a task force after his mentor is killed by corrupt cops, and he must defend his innocence. "Lost Bullet 2: Back for More" (2022): Lino, now cleared and working for a new narcotics unit, seeks revenge on the corrupt cops who killed his brother and mentor. "Last Bullet" (2025): The third and final installment, where Lino, having just left prison, continues his pursuit of vengeance against Areski, the person responsible for Charas' death.
The film can be loosely described as a French version of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS. The trouble is that American audiences have been flooded with these movies as well as a splurge of action films recently that include THE ACCOUNTANT 2, the new MISSION IMPOSSIBLE, SHADOW FORCE, and A WORKING MAN, just to mention a few.
In this final and third installment, Netflix continues to deliver all the explosions, gunplay, and car chases that any action fan could possibly want and expect.The film is a continuation, so it is best that one keeps up to date with the story.The “indestructible” car genius Lino returns to conclude his vendetta against the crooked cop who destroyed his life.
The film begins with Lino freshly released from prison and quickly gearing up to enact his vengeance and see justice prevail.It i the same oldster that quickly leads to tedium, no matter how hard the actors try. The action set pieces are top notch, especially the chases, which by now is expected to be the standard for action films.
LOST BULLET 3 (LAST BULLET (Bolle Perdue 3) opens for streaming this week on Netflix.
Un nouveau financement fédéral soutient la formation de la prochaine génération de professionnels bilingues et améliore l’accès aux soins pour les communautés francophones, notamment dans les...
