WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The fiery impulsiveness of youth. Why does it remain that, in those initially formative years, the streak of rebelliousness rears its head and causes so many to make reckless decisions? Seeking that understandable but perhaps misplaced validation, the means by which it is pursued can end up being hurtful rather than helpful, both to the individual and to those around them. What also drives this sense of nonconformity can be equally damaging–the feeling of being untouchable. Marc (Léokim Beaumier-Lépine) is a 14-year old boy facing what he interprets as an inescapable void. Talented and intelligent but carrying within an apparent dissent that had no creative outlet to truly assuage it, he finds himself a prisoner of his passions and a longing to be literally and figuratively free. Despite his family and those others around him attempting all they can to help, will Marc’s overwhelming sense of always feeling “captured” spell his end?
Next, my Mind:
Fearless in its raw depiction of youthful defiance while being equally unfaltering in its challenging, blunt, and deeply persuasive statements about mental health, the consequences of poor decisions, and the absolute yearning for personal liberation taken to devastatingly tragic extremes, this 30-minute Oscar qualifying short film from writer/director Vincent René-Lortie plus producers Samuel Caron and Elise Lardinois is no trouble-free, lighthearted frolic through the garden to absorb. Made more impactful by the sheer fact it’s based on true events, it leaves that wholly enduring impression upon your very soul by simply showcasing the excellence of precision storytelling, emotive characters, relatable thematic avenues, and awareness-raising initiatives that subsequently reveals the ultimate truth–it’s straight-up great filmmaking. Therefore, for this critic, it isn’t any surprise the effort has gained the notice it has.
Created around a narrative that sees the frantically tumultuous journey of a 14-year old boy pushed to the edge by both his own choices but also by the outward pressures (whether perceived or real) that have shaped his attitudes towards life, family, and authority, the purposefully paced film presents itself with an underlying relentless sense of stormy unease, only tempered by brief instances of calm which lend what soon seems like completely contradictory pockets of solace amidst its fiercely volatile baseline premise. Yet, it is due TO these moments which provide the film its well-grounded, intelligently thought out applicability via illustrating the trials of youth and the plight of all those who are desperate to see the circumstances get FAR better resolution for someone they genuinely care about that we are left with the compelling reasoning behind such a weighty foray that tries to postulate emphatically that there IS hope–but also that the PURSUIT of it vs. the ACCEPTANCE of it will be the difference.
Even when it is apparent mistakes having been made that have put us in a place of indignation, insurgence in action and word, and then to that darkest of mindsets, there remains the fact that without BEING open to take in the guidance and compassion of those we deem are judging us rather than aiding our cause, it’s only going to lead to further self-destruction instead of the freedom we actually WANT. Then, the perspective OF what REAL independence is vs. that which is just an illusion of it becomes paramount, but also potentially skewed when all we can see is red, and how the film chooses to explore this is so overtly unapologetic, it’s difficult at times to want to “go with it” when viewing, only it that we desire an outcome that sees everyone satisfied in the narrative. However, it is this that makes the film so powerful, especially in how it begins and then leads us back TO the moment we’ve seen, that does emphasize, sadly–life doesn’t always work out. How we DO attempt to visualize what makes Marc feel sound and safe is wonderfully delivered here, but also becomes a possible harbinger of loss and misguided “escape” as well.
But, the heartbreaking reality portrayed SHOULD pierce our very being to the extent of understanding just how important it is that we manage our own well-being, but even more so that we truly pay attention to our youth and their struggles, and not just chalk it up TO the “typical” or supposedly even “expected” schisms between young people and adults in any form. Rather, may this project act as yet another wake-up call to us to take better precaution in how we raise our children and, when they’ve made bad choices, do what this story does supportively show–BE there and NEVER give up trying TO be present for them so they know love and forgiveness exist, there ARE ways out that WILL gain them a healthy emancipation in heart and life they desire, learning from it all, improving from it all, and carrying it forward into the future. Avoiding the adversity and unstableness created, again even IF by their own deeds, is key here and worth investing time to see come about.
I find it no exaggeration or remote discredit to ANY of the other actors in this film to state that Beaumier-Lepine utterly dominates this story through his performance as Marc, a young boy whose come to the end of his patience in chasing what has evidently become a losing battle for the elusive place of peace and inner harmony he’s had taken away from him, even despite it being of his own making. Surrounded by those who DO sincerely care about his happiness and what the future could hold if he would only apply himself constructively, Marc’s ongoing state of anger-infused agitation prevents him from being receptive to any of them, expect perhaps to his little sister, who carries a deeply felt and empathetic bond with her older sibling that she has always looked up to and sees in some ways as a superhero. But, it all comes down to a quietly explosive and emotionally-charged phone call that will dictate the final outcome to Marc’s path and everything that’s lead up to it.
It STILL blows my mind when young actors can channel and pour this kind of all-encompassing, energetic, heart-rending, and what must be draining fervency into a character, doing so with such an overt believability and maturity that leaves you with NO doubts of the talents that lie within them, and it is an unquestionable FACT that Beaumier-Lepine delivers with all cylinders firing at full tilt here. Primary supporting roles come first from Élia St-Pierre as Marc’s little sister Justine whose love and perhaps even idolization of her brother as this (by his own proclamations to her) unconquerable entity gets puts to the test when she must face the ugliest of realities involving him and his actual state of being. Isabelle Blais and Pierre-Luc Brillant are Josee and Gilles, Marc’s parents who are insistent and understanding in wanting their son back in order that he might have better chances to grow up in a more settled manner with their support. But, whether this is enough for Marc either remains enigmatic.
Ralph Prosper is Luc, a man so wishing to be that mentor and even, in a temporary way, a surrogate father figure for Marc to be encouraged and challenged by that he might see his potential and realize it. Florence Blain Mbaye is a teacher who likewise tries her level best to bring out Marc’s innate skills and share them with others around him while hoping, like Luc, that it makes Marc embrace his possibilities rather than rebel against everything he has ascertained is holding him captive. Naoufel Chkirate is Shakib, one of Marc’s only real friends at the time and who also, despite being rebellious himself, still wants his friend to wake up and get with moving on in life more successfully and creatively than being stuck in a worse place. An additional turn is made here by Miguel Tionjock as Miguel, another artistically gifted young man who Marc might hold begrudgingly esteemed. So, in total, “Invincible” is a nerve-racking, definitively affecting exercise in misspent opportunity, possessing a jaded viewpoint of life, lashing out instead of being willing to let go and entertain being helped and grasping for a palpable unshackling from what holds us prisoner. Of course, it also shows us what we are undeniably not–undefeatable.
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
