J.A. Martin photographe

Often included on lists of the best Canadian films of all time, J.A. Martin photographe is set in Quebec at the turn of the century, where the title character (Marcel Sabourin) is a countryside photographer who spends every summer travelling to remote villages. Overcoming her husband's objections, Martin's wife Rose-Aimée (Monique Mercure, who won the Best Actress prize at Cannes) finally arranges to accompany him on his travels; the journey that follows sees Rose-Aimée coming into her own as a person, achieving a pre-feminist consciousness that stands in stark contrast to her husband's conservatism. Beautifully shot by Pierre Mignot, J.A. Martin photographe wonderfully conveys both the texture and spirit of rural life in the early 20th century.