The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (film)

In rural 1930s Quebec, Alice lives in house with older brother, known only as Frère, and their father Mr. Soissons, a recluse who is feared and hated in the village. Armed with rifles, Soissons and Frère forbid anyone from entering their property. Soissons has raised Alice as a boy, cutting her hair short and breast binding her, and tells her she is a boy whose penis fell off when she was small. Soissons also tells his children he created them out of clay. As Alice has doubts as to these stories, Frère finds her outside of the house reading a book, the memoirs of the Duc de Saint-Simon, that Soissons has banned. Frère rapes her. Later, Alice finds Soissons in the shed, where he is feeding pieces of food to a mysterious person in chains; Soissons describes this as a "just punishment," the figure being known as Juste. At night, Mr. Soissons enters his children's bedroom and inspects Alice, discovering she is pregnant. He begins beating Frère, whom he realizes has impregnated her, though neither of his children understand this.

Soissons commits suicide by hanging; Frère and Alice discover the nude body. They decide the body must be buried, but Alice declares they need a coffin and takes Mr. Soissons' horse to the village, where she has never been before. As she rides the horse, she feels sexually stimulated, until she comes across a church in congregation. Drawn in by the music, she leads her horse into the building, where the attendees and priest react with shock and anger. They drag her out, and force her to reveal that Mr. Soissons is dead, and that he had two "sons", one of whom is her. When she bites the priest's hand, he angrily orders her taken away. Several men take her to a barn and tie her to a pole. One of the churchgoers, a young man named Paul-Marie, then enters and unties her, tells her she is female, and notices she is pregnant. Paul-Marie tells her the villagers will come to the house since they know Mr. Soissons is dead, and that Alice will likely be confined to an orphanage or convent.

Alice returns to the house to warn Frère that the villagers will come, believing they are evil, and finds Frère trying to dismember their father's body to bury it. Frère picks up a rifle and declares himself the new master of the domain; Alice tells him to feel her belly, as she has experienced quickening. She then goes to the shed, where she frees Juste, a scarred and mute woman. Alice tells Juste she has learned where life comes from. Paul-Marie arrives to warn Alice and Frère that the priest, coroner, pathologist and armed police are marching to the property. Frère chases Paul-Marie off the land with his rifle, but Alice climbs onto Paul-Marie's motorcycle as they attempt to escape. Frère fires his weapon, killing Paul-Marie and causing the motorcycle to crash.

The villagers capture and restrain Frère while Alice stands over Juste with an ax. Alice gathers her belongings and goes back into the house, where she finds a charred corpse she refers to as Mama. As Alice's water breaks, she flashes back to a little girl playing with a sparkler as a girl, in the presence of her mother. When the sparkler runs out, the first girl's young sister picked up matches and lit one, accidentally igniting the dress of the first girl. The mother attempted to save the girl, but also caught fire. The father rushed in and attempted to put out the fire on his daughter, leaving his wife to burn. In the present, Alice lights matches again and proceeds to burn the house down. In labour, she wanders into the forest, where she gives birth and clutches her child.

Soucy's novel The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches was published in 1998 and later had an international publication in 20 languages before the adaptation. While many producers considered the novel a poor choice for basing a film on, producer Marcel Giroux asked director Simon Lavoie if he would be interested in such a project in 2013; Lavoie claimed to be a fan of the novel and accepted the offer. On 26 April 2016, Telefilm Canada announced $17 million in grants for 17 projects, including the adaptation to be directed by Lavoie, based on his screenplay.{{cite web |url=https://telefilm.ca/en/news-releases/telefilm-canada-funds-the-production-of-17-french-language-films-for-a-total-of-more-than-17-million |accessdate=8 September 2017 |title=Telefilm Canada funds the production of 17 French-language films for a total of more than $17 million |date=26 April 2016 |last= |first= |publisher=Telefilm Canada}}

Lavoie said he met with Soucy to discuss ideas before Soucy died in 2013.{{cite web |url=http://www.journaldemontreal.com/2017/10/28/un-roman-culte-porte-au-grand-ecran |date=28 October 2017 |title=Un roman culte porté au grand écran |accessdate=11 November 2017 |last=Demers |first=Maxime |work=Le Journal de Montreal}} Lavoie described the story as a poetic drama about life before the Quiet Revolution, a time of sexual repression and numerous religious and social issues.{{cite web |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/festivals-de-cinema/festival-de-toronto/201709/14/01-5133170-la-petite-fille-pour-cinephiles-avertis.php |accessdate=16 September 2017 |title=La petite fille... pour cinéphiles avertis |date=14 September 2017 |last=Petrowski |first=Nathalie |authorlink=Nathalie Petrowski |work=La Presse}} In his adaptation, much of the dialogue was rewritten, with Lavoie explaining "What stayed with me about the novel 15 years later wasn't the book's language ... That's often the first thing people bring up about this particular novel — it’s very particular, very baroque language. What had actually stayed with me were the characters and the particular poetry of the situation."{{cite web |url=http://cultmontreal.com/2017/10/la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes/ |title=Controversial filmmaking and a contemporary Quebec-lit hit |last=Rose |first=Alex |work=Cult MTL |date=31 October 2017 |accessdate=1 March 2018}}

File:Saint-faustin-lac-carré.JPG.]]

Principal photography commenced on 4 September 2016.{{cite web |url=http://quebec.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/07/26/debut-tournage-film-la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes_n_11202750.html |accessdate=8 September 2017 |title=Début du tournage du film "La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes" |date=26 July 2016 |last= |first= |work=The Huffington Post}} The story is set in agricultural areas of Quebec in the 1930s.{{cite web |url=http://www.news1130.com/2017/08/31/a-look-at-some-canadian-titles-at-the-toronto-international-film-festival/ |accessdate=8 September 2017 |title=A look at some Canadian titles at the Toronto International Film Festival |date=31 August 2017 |last=Ahearn |first=Victoria |publisher=The Canadian Press}} To depict this setting, filming took place in Montreal and Saint-Faustin, Quebec in the Laurentides.{{cite web |url=http://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/786740/tournage-x-men-maison-ancienne-oka |accessdate=10 March 2018 |title=Le dernier X-Men tourné en partie dans cette maison d'Oka |date=10 June 2016 |last=Labbé |first=Francis |publisher=Radio-Canada}}

Cinematographer Nicolas Canniccioni and Lavoie and chose to shoot in black and white, with Canniccioni employing a Red Epic Monochrome 6K camera. Art director Marjorie Rhéaume also selected colours in designing the sets that would reflect well in this photography.{{cite web |url=https://voir.ca/cinema/2017/11/02/prendre-lunivers-en-main/ |title=La Petite Fille Qui Aimait Trop Les Allumettes : Prendre L'univers En Main |last=Hervé |first=Jean-Baptiste |work=Voir |date=2 November 2017 |accessdate=1 March 2018}}

==Release==

The film's world premiere took place at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017.{{cite web |url=http://beta.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1049511/tiff-premiere-mondiale-film-la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes-gaetan-soucy |date=9 August 2017 |title=La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes présenté en première mondiale au TIFF |publisher=Ici Radio-Canada}} It was screened at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, rather than in the same larger Winter Garden theatre as Lavoie's previous film Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves, which won Best Canadian Film.

A release in Quebec theatres was then scheduled for 3 November,{{cite web |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/le-droit/arts-et-spectacles/cinema/201708/09/01-5123358-ladaptation-de-la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes-au-tiff.php |accessdate=8 September 2017 |title=L'adaptation de "La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes" au TIFF |date=9 August 2017 |last= |first= |work=La Presse}} and the first trailer was publicized in August 2017, revealing the black and white photography and hinting at intense themes.{{cite web |url=https://voir.ca/nouvelles/actualite-cinematographique/2017/08/09/une-premiere-bande-annonce-pour-le-nouveau-film-de-simon-lavoie/ |accessdate=8 September 2017 |title=Une Première Bande-Annonce Pour Le Nouveau Film De Simon Lavoie |date=9 August 2017 |last=Guay |first=Edouard |work=Voir}} It opened in Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Pont-Viau, Longueuil and Boucherville on 3 November. Seville International sold international distribution rights, with Gravitas Ventures buying for the United States.{{cite web |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/seville-strikes-deals-on-the-little-girl-who-was-too-fond-of-matches-the-ashram-exclusive/5123948.article |date=3 November 2017 |title=Seville strikes deals on 'The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches', 'The Ashram' (exclusive) |accessdate=11 November 2017 |last=Kay |first=Jeremy |work=Screen Daily}}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/11/confessions-of-an-eco-terrorist-sequel-saban-films-canada-the-little-girl-who-was-too-fond-of-matches-primal-rage-afm-1202201186/ |date=3 November 2017 |title='Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist' Sequel Sets Sail; Saban Films & Mongrel Media Pact For Canada; More – AFM Briefs |accessdate=11 November 2017 |last=Hipes |first=Patrick |website=Deadline Hollywood}} Gravitas Ventures prepared a Blu-ray for a Region A release on 20 March 2018.{{cite web |url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/55655/thelittlegirlwhowastoofondofmatches.html |accessdate=17 March 2018 |title=The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches |work=High-Def Digest}}

Norman Wilner, writing for Now, assessed the film as "a gripping story", citing Johnson as "riveting ... At times animalistic, at times tender and ethereal, she's whatever the role requires".{{cite web |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/tiff2017/Little-Girl-Who-Was-Too-Fond-Of-Matches-review/ |accessdate=14 September 2017 |title=The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond Of Matches |date=14 September 2017 |last=Wilner |first=Norman |work=Now}} Odile Tremblay wrote in Le Devoir that the adaptation would appeal to fans of the novel, and the deceased Soucy would have accepted the interpretation.{{cite web |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/cinema/507797/un-eblouissement-signe-del-toro |accessdate=14 September 2017 |title=Un éblouissement signé Guillermo del Toro au TIFF |date=12 September 2017 |last=Tremblay |first=Odile |work=Le Devoir}} For The Canadian Press, David Friend called it "viscerally unsettling".{{cite web |url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/five-to-watch-standout-tiff-films-that-flew-under-the-radar-1.3592606 |accessdate=16 September 2017 |title=Five to watch: Standout TIFF films that flew under the radar |date=16 September 2017 |last=Friend |first=David |publisher=The Canadian Press}} The Hollywood Reporter{{'}}s Boyd van Hoeij declared "this is art house fare that's challenging but also rewarding".{{cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/little-girl-who-was-fond-matches-la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes-1039495 |accessdate=16 September 2017 |title='The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches' ('La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes'): Film Review, TIFF 2017 |date=15 September 2017 |last=van Hoeij |first=Boyd |work=The Hollywood Reporter}} {{ill|Marc-André Lussier|fr}} awarded it three and a half stars in La Presse, positively reviewing the style.{{cite web |url=http://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/critiques/201711/03/01-5142262-la-petite-fille-qui-aimait-trop-les-allumettes-les-enfants-sauvages-12.php |date=3 November 2017 |title=La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes: les enfants sauvages ***1/2 |accessdate=11 November 2017 |last=Lussier |first=Marc-André |work=La Presse}} Le Devoir critic François Lévesque described it as oddly beautiful.{{cite web |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/cinema/512017/horreur-bucolique |title="La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes" - Horreur bucolique |last=Lévesque |first=François |work=Le Devoir |date=4 November 2017 |accessdate=1 March 2018}}

In December, TIFF named the film to its annual Canada's Top Ten list of the ten best Canadian films.{{cite web |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/film-fests-and-screenings/canadas-top-ten-2017-has-glaring-omissions/ |title=Canada's Top Ten has some glaring omissions |date=6 December 2017 |last=Wilner |first=Norman |work=Now}} In March for The Martlet, John Ledingham declared it "not a film for the faint of heart" but in which some viewers may find "something sublime in a suffering timeless and universal".{{cite web |url=http://www.martlet.ca/vff-horror-of-darkness/ |title=Victoria Film Festival: The horror of darkness |last=Ledingham |first=John |work=The Martlet |date=4 March 2018 |accessdate=17 March 2018 }} On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on six reviews.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_little_girl_who_was_too_fond_of_matches/ |title=The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (2017) |accessdate=1 March 2018 |last= |first= |work=Rotten Tomatoes}}

At TIFF, the film received an honorable mention for the Award for Best Canadian Film.{{cite web |url=https://nowtoronto.com/movies/tiff2017/tiff-2017-and-the-winners-are/ |accessdate=17 September 2017 |title=TIFF 2017: And The Winners Are ... |date=17 September 2017 |last=Wilner |first=Norman |work=Now}} At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, it received seven nominations, among the five films to receive the most nominations with eight or seven each.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/csa-nominees-2018-1.4489100 |title=Canadian Screen Awards 2018: Anne has leading 13 nominations |last=The Canadian Press |date=16 January 2018 |work=CBC News |accessdate=16 January 2018 }} While diversity was a theme of the ceremony, it was noted as among the Quebec films that lost in major categories.{{Cite web|url=https://www.straight.com/movies/1043216/maudie-kims-convenience-ava-alias-grace-and-rumble-among-major-winners-canadian |title=Maudie, Kim's Convenience, Ava, Alias Grace, and Rumble among major winners at Canadian Screen Awards |last=Smith |first=Charlie |work=The Georgia Straight |accessdate=17 March 2018}}

{{reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (film), The}}

Category:2017 films

Category:Canadian black-and-white films

Category:Canadian drama films

Category:Films based on Canadian novels

Category:Films directed by Simon Lavoie

Category:Films set in the 1930s

Category:Films set in Quebec

Category:Films shot in Montreal

Category:2017 drama films

Category:French-language Canadian films

Category:2010s Canadian films