Miraculum (2014)

Directed by: Daniel Grou
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Miraculum” was conceived by two minds utterly connected to Canadian TV series: Gabriel Sabourin, actor and writer, and Daniel Grou, the director. However, this wasn’t the first time that the two collaborators work in feature film, and “Miraculum” diverged from that format for its own good. The celebration of love, the end of love, religious fanaticism, and even hope, are presented with a cheerless posture. All of these aspects were coordinated with an imminent fatalism, turning it into a pertinent, reflective exercise, which in the impossibility of surprising us in its whole, was capable of sparking the debate about Jehovah’s witnesses beliefs, the difficulty of making irreversible decisions, and the mysteries of fate. The multi-narrative encompasses eight different people, who momentarily interconnect – Etienne, slowly dying of leukemia, refuses to receive blood in accordance with the strict principles of his Jehovah family, while his girlfriend breaks the rule; a man who returns from Venezuela loaded with drugs inside him and eager to meet with his young niece with whom he has a strong bond; an elderly couple, both employees in a casino, who leave their marriages behind to embark in a life together; a powerful businessman, lost in his addiction for gambling, is left for good by his alcoholic wife. Structured in an involving way and demonstrating well-controlled camera movements, this cerebral drama counts with the actor, writer and director, Xavier Dolan, in its powerful ensemble cast. Though not every little story (and character) has the same impact, “Miraculum” still provides us with a few thoughtful moments.