Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful

Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful
French	Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles
Directed by	Lyne Charlebois
Written by	Lyne Charlebois
Produced by	Sylvie Lacoste Veronika Molnar Roger Frappier
Starring	Alexandre Goyette Mylène Mackay
Cinematography	André Dufour
Edited by	Yvann Thibaudeau
Music by	Viviane Audet Robin-Joël Cool Alexis Martin
Production company	Max Films
Distributed by	Les Films Opale
Release date	November 2, 2023 (2023-11-02)(FCIAT)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	French

Tell Me Why These Things Are So Beautiful (French : Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Lyne Charlebois and released in 2023. ^[1]

The film stars Alexandre Goyette as Marie-Victorin Kirouac, the Roman Catholic clergyman who was instrumental in the creation of the Montreal Botanical Garden, and Mylène Mackay as Marcelle Gauvreau, a young botany student with whom he had a longtime emotionally intimate but platonic friendship. ^[2]

The cast also includes Rachel Graton, Francis Ducharme, Sylvie Moreau, Marianne Farley and Vincent Graton. ^[3]

Production

The film entered production in early 2023. It was shot principally in Montreal, although several days of location shooting were also undertaken in Cuba. ^[4]

Mackay previously played Gauvreau in André Forcier's 2019 film Forgotten Flowers (Les fleurs oubliées), opposite Yves Jacques as Kirouac. ^[5]

Distribution

The film premiered on November 2, 2023, as the closing film of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival. ^[1] It later screened in the Borsos Competition program at the 2023 Whistler Film Festival. ^[6]

Commercial release is slated for June 2024. ^[7]

Awards

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival	2023	Grand Prix Hydro-Québec	Lyne Charlebois	Won	[8]
Prix Iris	December 8, 2024	Best Actress	Mylène Mackay	Nominated	[9]
		Best Art Direction	Yola Van Leeuwenkamp	Nominated
		Best Costume Design	Sophie Lefebvre	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	André Dufour	Nominated
		Best Original Music	Viviane Audet, Robin-Joël Cool, Alexis Martin	Nominated
		Best Hairstyling	Jean-Luc Lapierre, André Duval	Nominated

References

1. Maxime Demers, "Le film «Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles» sera présenté en clôture du Festival du cinéma international en Abitibi-Témiscamingue". Le Journal de Montréal , September 7, 2023.
2. Caroline Bertrand, "Marcelle Gauvreau et Marie-Victorin s’aimeront (chastement) à l’écran". Métro , February 17, 2023.
3. Charles-Henri Ramond, "(FCIAT 2023) Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles en clôture". Films du Québec, September 18, 2023.
4. Émilie Côté, "Les leçons d’un grand amour". La Presse , January 13, 2023.
5. Alex Rose, "Roy Dupuis pukes actual rainbows in André Forcier’s Les fleurs oubliées". Cult MTL , October 25, 2019.
6. Taimur Sikander Mirza, "500 Days in the Wild to world premiere at Whistler". Playback , November 1, 2023.
7. Charles-Henri Ramond, "Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles en salle le 21 juin". Films du Québec, March 18, 2024.
8. "Dis-moi pourquoi ces choses sont si belles remporte le 42e FCIAT". Ici Radio-Canada Première, November 3, 2023.
9. Éric Lavallée, "Prix Iris 2024: Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person Leads “Quebec Oscars” Noms". Ioncinema, October 9, 2024.