1981

Comedy
Original title: Mille neuf cent quatre-vingt-un
In French with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Jean-Carl Boucher: 11-year old Ricardo Trogi
Claudio Colangelo: his father Benito
Sandrine Bisson: his mother Claudette
Marjolaine Lemieux: his schoolteacher Aline
Élizabeth Adam: another student, Anne Tremblay
Narration by Ricardo Trogi

REVIEW
An amusing autobiographical film focusing on Ricardo’s adaptation to his new environment when his parents move to St.-Foy, Quebec. Played out pretty much in low key it has a certain nostalgia about it for anyone who was ever been in a similar situation.

Although there is one extended scene when they become more serious, for the most part it bounces along from one episode to another.

CLASSIFICATION
for brief sexuality.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
• While talking finance with Ricardo, Benito says that the mortgage rate has jumped to 5%. These events took place during the titular year when mortgage rates were in the mid-teens reaching a high of 18%.
• Claudette tells Ricardo as punishment he is not allowed to watch the television program The Bionic Woman. Some threat as the last episode on tv was 3 years earlier when NBC discontinued broadcasting the series.
• Ricardo says he needs 10 cents for a soda. That was the price in 1968 but by 1981 a can of pop cost 35 cents.
• Nadia, Ricardo’s sister, in response to a question says in French ““he always ignores me” but the translation in the subtitle is way off with “he’s always mean like that”.
• On the back door is a decal of a security alarm company that was not even in business back then.