A Romanian caretaker orchestrates arrivals and departures; she decides who will be allowed access to this noisy and anonymous building. Who lives at 4125 Parthenais? Primarily men, not so young any more, most of them welfare recipients. People who have, out of frustration or by choice, withdrawn from the Capitalist society. A fallen suburbanite, a caretaker who thinks he’s a Count, a gay Jehova’s Witness, a man who considers his dog and passing time to be his loyal allies. A few women also live there, such as a Duplessis orphan preoccupied by the mystery of her origins. Despite the labels and lack of social recognition, behind the building’s façade hide individuals living in their own little world, piecing together a life of little joy and anodine moments, in spite of the “solitude disease” threatening them.
Award and nomination
Colin Low Best documentary Award – Doxa Documentary Festival, Vancouver, 2002
Nominé pour le meilleur documentaire de l’année – La soirée des Jutra, Montréal, 2002
Credits
Documentary, 50 minutes, 2001
Script and direction / Isabelle Lavigne
Cinematography / Alex Margineanu
Sound / Esther Auger
Editing / Mélanie Chicoine, René Roberge
Sound editing / Martin Allard, Marie-Ève Livernoche
Music / Pierre Desrochers
Production / Lucie Lambert
Les films du tricycle 