Gabrielle (2013)

Directed by: Louise Archambault
Country: Canada

Movie Review: “Gabrielle” tries to celebrate love and hope, while depicts the story of the title character, a special woman suffering from Williams syndrome who seeks for a questionable independence. Mentally challenged and diabetic, yet effusively happy, 22-year-old Gabrielle is in love with Martin, her colleague in the recreation center where they are rehearsing with a choir of people in the same conditions, in order to perform with the famous Quebecois singer, Robert Charlebois. When they are caught half-naked in a party given at the center, a meeting is promptly scheduled to clarify that the rules are strict. In the meeting were present Gabrielle’s beloved sister, Sophie, who are renitent in going to India with her boyfriend, and Martin’s ultra protective mother who forbids her son to see Gabrielle again. From this moment on, both will see their limitative conditions get worse due to sadness, but fate will get them together in the final concert. With an appreciable direction and some charm, “Gabrielle” should please the fans of heartwarming dramas with its sensibility, even considering the musical moments overextended and the story occasionally too sweet in certain scenes. The urge for love is perfectly achieved by Gabrielle Marion-Rivard, an actress who has Williams syndrome in real life and sings in a similar choir in Montreal. The questions on how to protect these people, giving them the freedom and opportunities they deserve, and how their condition affects the ones around them, were put on the table with pertinence in this sophomore feature film from Louise Archambault.