À l'ouest de Pluton

At West of Pluto sketches a portrait of 24 hours in the lives of 12 teenagers who live in the outer suburbs of Québec, Canada. The film looks so lifelike that some people have experienced it as a documentary. The makers, feature debutants Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault, found the 15 and 16-year-old actors at their own former secondary school, where they also held the auditions. Prior to the film, they then improvised with them for months so they would get to know each other and their characters. It partly explains the true-to -life character of the film. The language, tone and attitude of the young people is strikingly captured in occasionally very stylised or rawly shot scenes.
Pierre-Olivier has trouble coming to terms with the fact that Pluto has lost its status as a planet; Jérôme wants to express his feelings to the one he loves; Nicolas and Steve are looking for a good name for their punk band; Émilie is organising a party in her parental home, but that gets out of hand... The young characters are confronted with the opinions they have about themselves and their friends and their surroundings. And they experience all kinds of things for the first time: infatuation, seduction, drugs, alcohol, unexpected nocturnal adventures. At West of Pluto is characterised by an infectious mix of humorous dialogue and dramatic situations. (EH)