A monk and his student write letters about sex, God, and flowers—chastity has never been this steamy.
Brother Marie-Victorin was 46 when he met 23-year-old Marcelle Gauvreau. Both have been close to death and share the same love of God and Nature. He becomes her teacher, later she becomes his assistant. Their friendship evolves. Marie-Victorin offers Marcelle different readings on sexuality that she hastens to comment on from her own intimate experiences. In an epistolary exchange that will last until the death of Marie-Victorin, they explore human desires and "biology without a veil". This great chaste love, the love of Quebec's flora, pushes them to question their own relationship with love and Nature.
Writing
Letters so charged they make email seem barbaric.
Acting
Mackay and Goyette smolder through restraint.
Cinematography
Plants filmed like lovers, lovers filmed like sacraments.
Director
Lyne Charlebois
Alexandre Goyette
Frère Marie-Victorin / Antoine
Mylène Mackay
Marcelle Gauvreau / Roxanne
Rachel Graton
Rita Simard / Catherine
Francis Ducharme
Frère Léo / Michel
Sylvie Moreau
Sœur Marie-des-Anges / Louise
Marianne Farley
Marianne Molnar
Vincent Graton
Dr. Joseph Gauvreau
Geneviève Langlois
Augustine Gauvreau
Ariane Castellanos
Lydia
Kim Despatis
Janine
Éva Tanoni
Antonia Gauvreau
Lilas-Rose Cantin
Jacqueline Lalonde
Jacob Beaudry
Guy Gauvreau
Catherine Boily
Enfant - Concours d'herbiers
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Marie-Victorin founded Montreal's Botanical Garden; the film's 'biology without a veil' was his actual phrase.
In Quebec, Marie-Victorin is a secular saint—this film caused actual controversy for humanizing him. The casting of Goyette, known for edgier roles, was deliberate provocation.
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