Three years ago, the play Vanishing lines was all the rage on the stage of the Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui by painting a funny and gritty portrait of young thirty-somethings facing deep challenges. The passage from the boards to the big screen is rather successful thanks in particular to the brilliant performances of its trio of actresses.
“Can you drink bubbles without talking regarding the ice pack that makes?” This tasty line launched at the beginning of the film by one of the three protagonists perfectly sums up the tone, both light and serious, of the dramatic comedy. Vanishing lines.
We follow three high school friends from Beauce who meet for a drunken summer evening in Montreal. If they were once on the same wavelength, the three girlfriends have taken very different trajectories since their crazy teenage years.
Still living in Beauce, Audrey (Catherine Chabot) leads a life a little too quiet for her taste with her plumber boyfriend (Maxime de Cotret). Valérie (Léane Labrèche-Dor), who works as a radio columnist in Montreal, lives modestly with her boyfriend, a philosophy lecturer (Mickaël Gouin). At the other end of the spectrum, Sabina (Mariana Mazza), an expert in finance, makes a lot of money and spins the perfect happiness with her new love, an English-speaking visual artist (Victoria Diamond).
The alcohol helping, the discussions will ignite as the evening progresses and the young thirty-somethings will end up throwing their four truths in their faces, suddenly calling into question this friendship which is perhaps no longer worth it.
Scathing at will
Eco-anxiety, fear of becoming a mother, job insecurity, crumbling friendship… Vanishing lines frankly addresses several issues that bother today’s young thirty-somethings. By adapting her play herself with the help of Émile Gaudreault (screenwriter) and Miryam Bouchard (director), author and actress Catherine Chabot signs a scathing comedy, in which she takes malicious pleasure in jostling the spectator in his convictions.
One of the great strengths of the film, the dialogues, punchy and percussive, are delivered with dynamism by a group of actors particularly gifted for comedy. Resuming roles they have already played on stage, Catherine Chabot and Léane Labrèche-Dor dazzle with performances of remarkable accuracy. Special mention also to Mariana Mazza, who shines in a role rich in nuances. Too bad, however, that the feature film sometimes takes on the appearance of filmed theater, especially in the last act, which stands out for its darker and more dramatic tone.
- Vanishing lines ★★★1⁄2
A film by Catherine Chabot and Miryam Bouchard
With Catherine Chabot, Mariana Mazza and Léane Labrèche-Dor