The Decline of the American Empire (Denys Arcand)
OR Books Selects
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1h 42m
Directed by Denys Arcand • Drama • With Dominique Michel, Dorothée Berryman, Louise Portal • 1986 • 101 minutes
When a Montreal professor (Rémy Girard) and his wife (Dorothée Berryman) gather six of their erudite friends for a holiday in the country, the conversation naturally turns to sex. The men brag about their promiscuity while their female counterparts dish on their own exploits at a nearby gym. But a fun and titillating topic devolves into a cavalcade of hurt feelings and accusations when an unexpected dinner guest (Gabriel Arcand) reveals some shocking secrets.
Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, nine Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture, and the first Canadian film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
"Here is a movie where everybody talks about nothing but sex, and the real subject is wit." —Roger Ebert
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