The Free Ones

A sawmill in the heart of Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean has taken on the mission of retraining the chronically unemployed. The apprentices learn all about factory work and wood-milling, to prepare them to apply for jobs with the region’s companies. Some of the apprentices are ex-convicts working to rebuild their lives and shed the bad habits that once put them behind bars. For several months, Nicolas Lévesque followed a few of them, with a deeply empathetic eye, as they tackled their challenges. The hope for a new life, trouble adapting, the burden of a past that society won’t let them forget: the road ahead isn’t an easy one. This lucid and moving observational documentary listens to people who have to fight constantly to be free. (Bruno Dequen)

In first part The hands of an Elder presented by Wapikoni mobile.

Presented in collaboration with Radio-Canada and Québec City Film Festival (QCFF)

competition : New Visions Competition

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