The Age of Ignorance

The director's titles themselves show that Denys Arcand does not have any illusions about our presence and atmosphere in society. In his latest film, he continues to map the helplessness, confusion, and overall crisis of modern Western society. Its main theme is the crisis of middle age, a Canadian version of American Beauty, less ambitious and flashy, but much more precise, crueler, and without the trick of a final bullet that solves the situation. Because far worse than one terrible ending is horror without end and without a way out. The main character is trapped in a web of stereotypes, obligations, regulations, and above all, in the trap of utter loneliness. Denys Arcand has moved much more toward satire and tragicomedy full of black humor since his film The Barbarian Invasions, so his film is more accessible to the audience than previous ones. To survive the gloomy reality, his protagonist escapes into a world of dreams, and when he finds a potentially kindred soul, it turns out that she has transformed her escapist world into a peculiar reality and is unusable for coexistence. Arcand has a wide range, mocking political correctness (we no longer have "blacks", but people of equatorial type), bureaucracy (no one can talk to you because all the officials are at a motivational course – and you certainly don't want demotivated officials, do you?), family crises, and interpersonal relationships in general. So far, in my opinion, this is the best film by this interesting Canadian director. Overall impression: 90%. (18.03.2012)

A comedy about the values crisis of the contemporary West. A lighthearted depiction of an affluent society living in conventions such as a successful career, a loving family, two cars, and the latest electronics - everything that the main character Jean-Marc also possesses. Despite this, he is not happy and in a society full of hidden indifference towards the problems of others, he creates his own enchanting dream world - in which, fittingly, he only thinks about himself. Jean-Marc is thus a typical useless person and part of a society that he gradually sees as twisted. In the end, he escapes civilization to a cabin on a remote coast. While he hides from the surroundings there, he also loses the dreams that kept him afloat before. And even though he finds simple human joys, unfortunately, he ends up practically on the edge of the world. (12.03.2012)