Polytechnique
Movie, 2009, The 2000s, Set in Montreal, 1989
Polytechnique is #3 of 11 in release order and #3 of 11 in chronological order in the Denis Villeneuve.
The story
A dramatization of the École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, on December 9, 1989, where 14 female engineering students were murdered (and 13 were wounded) by a 25 year old psychotic misogynist armed with a semi-automatic weapon.
Polytechnique recap
Polytechnique (2009) follows two students at the Montreal engineering school on December 6, 1989, the day a gunman murders fourteen women there. Denis Villeneuve directs and co-wrote it with Jacques Davidts, shooting in black and white partly so the blood would not dominate the screen. Karine Vanasse plays Valerie, a student hoping to become an engineer, and Sebastien Huberdeau plays Jean-Francois, a classmate. Maxim Gaudette plays the killer, who is never named. The film opens with the killer preparing his rifle and writing a letter blaming feminists for his life. At the school, he walks into a classroom, fires into the ceiling, orders the men to leave and the women to stay, and opens fire on the women. Jean-Francois goes out as told but turns back to try to help, moving through corridors and the cafeteria as the gunman hunts women. Valerie and her friend Stephanie play dead. The film won nine Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture. It is Villeneuve's third feature, made between Maelstrom and Incendies.
Polytechnique ending explained
Polytechnique ends with the gunman killing a woman in another classroom and then himself. Stephanie dies of her wounds. Some time later Jean-Francois, unable to live with having left the room when ordered, kills himself with carbon monoxide. Valerie, now an engineer wearing the iron ring, learns she is pregnant and imagines what she will tell her child: if a boy, to be loving, and if a girl, that the world belongs to her.
Post-credits scenes
No. Polytechnique has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Polytechnique
Polytechnique is streaming on Philo, Kanopy, Hoopla, Fandor, Plex, and Fawesome in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 88%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Maelström, before Incendies.
- Chronological order: after Maelström, before Incendies.
Cast
- Maxim Gaudette as The Assassin
- Sébastien Huberdeau as Jean-François
- Karine Vanasse as Valérie
- Evelyne Brochu as Stéphanie
- Martin Watier as Jean-François (voice)
- Johanne-Marie Tremblay as Jean-François' Mother
- Natalie Hamel-Roy as Jean-François' Mother (voice)
- Pierre-Yves Cardinal as Éric
- Pierre Leblanc as Mr. Martineau
- Francesca Barcenas as Injured Student at Copier
- Ève Duranceau as Student with the Ear Injury
- Mathieu Ledoux as Injured Student
Directed by Denis Villeneuve.