Invincible
2022 · 30m · Canada
Directed by Vincent René-Lortie
Genres: drama
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
Inspired by a true story, the film traces the final 48 hours in the life of Marc-Antoine Bernier, a 14-year-old boy on a desperate quest for freedom, drawing on the director's own grief over the loss of a childhood friend.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
Invincible earns its place in any serious vault through the rarest of combinations: a debut film of such autobiographical weight and formal restraint that it won Clermont-Ferrand, earned an Oscar nomination, and proved a first feature can also be a masterwork of grief.
Thirty minutes is a feature, not a short, and Academy nomination for tragic boy-on-quest narratives is a well-worn track. That said, René-Lortie's grief is real and the runtime probably earns itself; I'll respect it without loving it.
Academy Award nomination, 30 minutes, and a personal memorial to a real friend — René-Lortie's tracking the final 48 hours of a 14-year-old's escape attempts with a Fauve-level grasp of adolescent freedom and its impossibility. Léokim Beaumier-Lépine reportedly does devastating work; this is the long form done right.
Reviews
A powerful short film that has made a significant impact during its festival run — situated within Quebec's acclaimed tradition alongside Oscar-nominated works like Fauve and Brotherhood.
Festivals
- Chicago International Children's Film Festival 2022, Best Live Action Short Film
- Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2023, International Jury Special Award
- Tampere Film Festival 2023, Best International Fiction
- Regard – Saguenay International Short Film Festival 2023, Jury Prize
- Quebec Cinema Awards (Prix Iris) 2023, Best Live Action Short Film
- Academy Awards 2024