Quebec's first Netflix original film is a survivalist action-thriller set in the Laurentians
It wasn't so long ago that artists in Quebec were wondering whether French-language films would ever see a dime from a $500-million deal between Ottawa and Netflix.
Fast forward three years — Quebec's first Netflix original film has arrived on the streaming platform, following a limited theatrical release.
The film, Jusqu'au Déclin, is a French-language action-thriller filmed near Lac Ouareau, Que., in the Laurentians.
The story follows Antoine, a father who attends a survivalist workshop on an isolated property, run by a mysterious man who prides himself on living off the grid. It's not long, however, before things take a sinister turn.
For lead actor Guillaume Laurin, filming all night for two weeks straight in below freezing temperatures was a dream come true.
Laurin, a co-founder of the film's production company Couronne Nord, wanted to make a movie that highlights Quebec's rugged natural landscape.
"We're all from the Laurentians so it really means a lot to us," he said. "We wanted to give that Nordic vibe to an action movie."
Couronne Nord had never made a feature film before, and Laurin was thrilled when online streaming giant Netflix expressed interest in the project.
"We're still in shock," he said. "It's pretty much a dream."
Laurin said the creative team shopped the film's script around to a few companies with no success, before getting the coveted green light from Netflix.
He said it was a great experience getting to develop and tweak the film with a budget of $5 million.
"They gave us a lot of freedom, a lot of liberty," Laurin said.
While the film was done in French, the same actors have recorded a second version of the dialogue for an English dub.
Laurin said it was Netflix's idea to preserve the Quebec French accents in English. Jusqu'au Déclin is available with subtitles in 32 languages.
