August 32nd on Earth
Movie, 1998, The '90s, Set in A road trip to the desert
August 32nd on Earth is #1 of 11 in release order and #1 of 11 in chronological order in the Denis Villeneuve.
The story
After escaping unscathed from a car accident, photo model Simone decides that having a baby is the only way to give her vacant life some meaning. She asks her best friend Philippe to get her pregnant, and he reluctantly agrees, on the condition that they conceive somewhere in a desert, so they leave Montréal on a 24-hour round-trip to Salt Lake City to find a suitable spot.
August 32nd on Earth recap
August 32nd on Earth (1998) follows Simone Prevost, a Montreal model who survives a car crash unhurt and decides to have a baby with her best friend. Denis Villeneuve wrote and directed this French-language drama, his first feature, which screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Pascale Bussieres plays Simone, who reconsiders her whole life after the accident: she quits her job, drops a planned trip to Italy and goes looking for Philippe (Alexis Martin), the friend she wants as the father. Philippe is wary of the idea but agrees, on one condition: the child must be conceived in a desert. The two fly to Salt Lake City and drive out onto the Utah salt flats, where the trip turns strange and puts Philippe in danger. Alexis Martin won the Jutra Award for Best Actor, and Canada submitted the film for the foreign-language Oscar. As Villeneuve's first feature, it comes before Maelstrom.
August 32nd on Earth ending explained
August 32nd on Earth ends with Philippe badly beaten, and the film leaves it unresolved whether he survives. The journey that begins with Simone surviving one accident closes on violence done to him, and the question of whether the two will have their child is never settled. Villeneuve followed it two years later with Maelstrom, which also opens its story with a car accident.
Where to watch August 32nd on Earth
August 32nd on Earth is streaming on Philo and Kanopy in the US.
Ratings
IMDb 6.5/10
Where it fits
Cast
- Pascale Bussières as Simone Prévost
- Alexis Martin as Philippe
- Paule Baillargeon as Hospital Doctor
- Emmanuel Bilodeau as Philippe's Best Friend
- Joanne Côté as Monica
- Frédéric Desager as Stéphane
- Venelina Ghiaourov as Nurse
- R. Craig Costin as Hired car clerk
- Estelle Esse as Leather shop clerk
- Richard S. Hamilton as Taxi Driver
- Serge Thériault as Automobiliste
- Ivan Smith as Médecin de la clinique
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.