By chance

If, by chance, you were in Lafayette, Louisiana, last Thursday evening, I hope you were able to go to the Cinema on the Bayou Film Festival. That night, attendees were treated to the world premiere of the Québec film Par hasard en courant…

Written and directed by Québec City native, Jacques Loiselle, Par hasard en courant… is a feature-length movie exploring the role played by chance – le hasard –in all of our lives. We like to think our planning and efforts are what determine our fate. But chance plays an undeniable part as well, pushing our lives in unforeseen directions. In Loiselle’s film, chance intervenes amply in the lives of the protagonists, the drama animating one life spilling over into the next.

The numerous characters in Par hasard cross paths as they jog and train in Battlefields Park, more commonly known as the Plains of Abraham. Although not necessarily an integral part of the storyline, it is the ever-present backdrop for the film’s action, and lovers of la Vieille Capitale will delight in its familiar vistas. According to Loiselle, the Québec City park lent itself well to the filming; with a limited budget, he used it as an open-air soundstage, taking advantage of the rolling topography to create cinematographically complex scenes.

I’m sure that festival-goers enjoyed Par hasard en courant… I certainly did when I was fortunate enough to be invited to a prescreening of the film several months before its debut. I was thoroughly entertained by its clever dialogue and enthralled by its talented cast. I hope you will get the chance to see it soon in a theater near you.

6 thoughts on “By chance”

  1. Neil! I’m enthusiastic about dear Jacques’s cinematographic acheivement, and glad to read your positive feedback! Looking forward to watch this movie anytime soon! Thanks for your blog, I always enjoy reading your posts!

  2. Francine Poulin

    J’ai bien hâte de voir ce film. J’adore les films, je surveille la sortie. Merci pour l’information. Bonne journée , Francine.

  3. Millicent Broderick

    I have a photo on the fridge..it was taken 36 years ago and it is of my daughter Heather running, as a one year old tyke, on the Plains of Abraham. So I see the Plains every day when I look at that joyful little face feeling her oats.

  4. Heureux que tu nous fasses connaître, Cher Neil, de cinéaste Jacques Loiselle, j’ai même pensé que tu étais parti voir comment vivent les survivants de l’Acadie dans le Bayou et aux abords du Mississippi en passant par Vacherie-St Gabriel-Plaquemine vers Bâton-Rouge. Les hasards naissent toujours ailleurs, les découvertes aussi.Longue vie à toi, au cinéma et au Bayou Film Festival. Avec l’espoir de voir ce film à Québec ce ” Par hasard en courant” Cordialement db

  5. Merci pour ce bel article ! Il faut absolument que PAR HASARD EN COURANT trouve son public. Sélectionné à Lafayette ! Quelle joie pour Jacques. Si je n’habitais pas si loin, de l’autre côté de l’Atlantique, j’y serais allée !
    Mon mari et moi avons eu l’occasion de faire de belles promenades sur les plaines d’Abraham et la chance d’avoir rencontré Jacques à l’occasion d’une de ses passionnantes visites conférences à Québec.
    Amitiés à toutes et tous.

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