Touching, funny and bright, Club illico’s new dramatic comedy About Antoine tells the story of an atypical family full of love.
• Also read: full of emotions
• Also read: Available from January 19th at Club illico: unveiling of the trailer for the series “About Antoine”.
Screenwriter Cathleen Rouleau, for whom this is her first television series and defending her first major role in it, draws inspiration from her own experiences to stage the arrival of Julie, her character, in the life of Marc Fenouillard (Claude Legault). , which actually stores Sylvain Parent-Bédard, the big boss of ComediHa!, in Quebec.
Always on the phone, Marc has two children, Georges (Edouard-B. Larocque) and Antoine (Antoine Parent-Bédard), 15, who plays his own role for authenticity. Polydisabled, Antoine is Autistic Level 3, intellectually disabled, non-verbal and epileptic at a high level.
In the first scene, which Julie interrupts to address viewers directly, thereby breaking the fourth wall, she recounts the beginnings of her relationship with Marc as she prepares to experience her family christening with the Fenouillards.
We feel that the young woman, actress in life, is full of doubts. Challenges await her as she leaves Montreal to live the love of her life in Quebec. And it’s the excitement that awaits him, it doesn’t take long for all members of the clan to parade through Marc’s apartment, namely his mother Margot (excellent Micheline Bernard), his ex Justine (Fanny Mallette) as well as his two brothers Patrick (Sylvain Marcel). ) and Philippe (Hugues Frenette). And let’s face it, everyone has a strong personality that creates fun situations.
“[Julie] gets a little carried away by all of this,” confessed Cathleen Rouleau on the sidelines of Wednesday’s viewing of the first four episodes.
The young woman’s clumsiness does not prevent her from quickly becoming attached to Antoine and vice versa. The final scene of the first episode also pulls us along.
Watching the series, one wonders what is true and what has been fictionalized in the narrative. Both Cathleen Rouleau and Sylvain Parent-Bédard confirm that most of the situations are true, including the improvised sections.
Podz is in good shape
Podz’s camera – who wanted “Antoine to have a good time” during the process – is still so creative and fired up. His handwriting is there, especially through short sequences, and he even lets you see Antoine’s point of view on occasion.
The director of “19-2”, from “Mafia inc.” and “Lupin” says he learned a lot on the Quebec set, particularly in making his intentions “more transparent” to who isn’t the most talkative. And without his luggage, he said he would never have been able to pack the 10 episodes “without stress”, so much had to be adapted in the 45 days of shooting.
The days were in fact modulated according to the good or bad times of Antoine. The experience was beneficial to him as the teenager’s brain was stimulated in a way that reduced the frequency of his epileptic seizures.
A second season is in development at ComediHa! and Quebecor Content, but while they wait, Club illico subscribers can get the first version starting Thursday, April 19.