Familiar Ground

2011

Familiar Ground

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

80%

TOMATOMETER

Reviews Counted: 5

62%
liked it

Audience Score

User Ratings: 70

All Critics | Top Critics

Average Rating: N/A
Reviews Count: 0
Fresh: 0
Rotten: 0

Average Rating: 3.5/5

You may have noticed some of the recent changes we have made. To read more about what we’ve been working on behind the scenes, please check out our new RT Product Blog here.

ADD YOUR RATING

Want to See

My Rating

Familiar Ground Photos

View All Photos

Movie Info

Maryse and her husband are desperate to sell a backhoe sitting abandoned in their suburban yard. Her brother, Benoit, is trapped in endless adolescence, sharing their childhood home with their invalid father. Benoit is enamored with a single mom named Nathalie, and he's hoping to finally grow up by living with her... but Nathalie's son does not approve. A serious accident at the factory where Maryse works, a strange series of coincidences, and the arrival of a man claiming to come from the future launch Maryse and Benoit on a life-changing road trip. Following up his acclaimed feature film "Continental, A Film Without Guns," filmmaker Stéphane Lafleur once again brings us an ensemble of compelling characters, in a story where the ordinary and the fantastic collide.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Art House & International, Drama
Directed By:

Stéphane Lafleur
Written By:

Stéphane Lafleur
Box Office:

$43,037
Runtime:

90 minutes
Studio:

Contre-allee

Cast

Fanny Mallette
as Maryse

Michel Daigle

Sylvain Marcel

Suzanne Lemoine
as Nathalie

Denis Houle

Francis La Haye
as Benoit

Critic Reviews for Familiar Ground

All Critics (5) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (4) | Rotten (1)

All this sounds terribly "indie," admittedly. But thankfully, Lafleur never lets his movie become an oh-so-precious assemblage of quirky tics.

Aug 3, 2011 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

James Adams
Globe and Mail
Top Critic
[Its] glacial pace, bloodless performances and minimalist architecture will likely assure it a place in the archives of Forgotten Canadian Cinema.

Jul 29, 2011 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Greg Quill
Toronto Star
Top Critic
The film may be a bit too understated for some viewers, but a bigger message about the ties that bind is there to be seen under the low-key events.

Aug 3, 2011 | Rating: 3/5

Liz Braun
Jam! Movies
With a synth-pop soundtrack against a dreary winter backdrop, Stephane Lafleur crafts a sharply funny portrait of prosaic life that's not without moments of light and magic.

Jun 26, 2011 | Full Review…

Annlee Ellingson
Moving Pictures Magazine
Little by little, it draws us in nonetheless.

Feb 25, 2011 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal