Three voices, one tragedy: colonization dissected through time itself.
Three memories juxtaposed: that of an Innu, that of a Jesuit and that of the director. In this feature film, Arthur Lamothe films the daily life of the Innu, the culture of an indigenous people gradually being decimated.
Direction
Lamothe's triple-perspective structure was revolutionary for 1983 documentary.
Cinematography
Intimate vérité footage of Innu daily life, captured with patient respect.
Writing
Rollande Rock's narration weaves personal and collective memory devastatingly.
Director
Arthur Lamothe
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Lamothe, a self-taught filmmaker of French-Canadian descent, spent years living with Innu communities before filming, a rarity in 1980s Quebec cinema.
The film's original French title 'Le Temps de l'avant' references Innu concepts of circular time—deliberately rejecting Western linear narrative.
CA
