Staff Pick Premiere: A gradual divorce from mom and dad

Do you remember the moment you realized your parents were human? That their emotions were directly influenced by your behavior, and that they were not infallible, all-knowing beings? As you grew up, this distinct power became increasingly tangible. You cancelled plans with your family by blood in favor of your family by choice, and your arsenal of hurtful words expanded faster than your understanding of their impact on those who cared about you.

With an average divorce rate hovering around 50 percent in Europe and North America, millions of kids are forced to recognize the power they have over their parents’ hearts pretty early, as they are often confronted with a choice between precious limited time designated between parent one, parent two, and a growing community of friends, school, and extracurriculars outside of their two homes. This week’s Staff Pick Premiere, “La Coupe (The Cut)” is a film that will resonate with the kids of divorced or separated parents who navigated the court-ordered dance between the many components of their social world.

In a one-shot take, we observe a happy young girl named Fannie as she gives her father a haircut while updating him on the happenings of her life since the last time she saw him. The haircut is an act of intimacy and trust, as Fannie wields her scissors with wild abandon and her father listens intently in full faith that she’ll keep his ears in two whole pieces. Occasionally, he interjects his daughter’s excited chatter with clues about the fun he’s planned for their weekend. Then, with the ring of a telephone, the title of “La Coupe” takes on a double meaning. Fannie is invited by a friend to attend a sleepover and party that all of her classmates are going to attend. 11-year-old actress Milya Corbeil-Gauvreau portrays a sudden shift in mood from childlike anticipation to a melancholy burden of guilt with great nuance, as her character realizes saying yes will not only cut her cherished time with her father short, but remind them both of the giant, unfixable crack between her mother and father.

The very last take of 24 attempts to capture the perfect shot, “La Coupe” is based on the experience of director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles as a kid: “My parents divorced when I was about nine years old. I remember quite well sensing the pain of my parents who had to share the custody of their children, and my conflicts to let them down because I wanted desperately to have friends at school, which means being present for them as well. I came back to that period of my life because I think that there was an interesting inner conflict for both parties.”

Thanks to realistic performances between Milya Corbeil-Gauvreau and Alain Houle (who plays her father) this Sundance short is sure to stir up memories of lessons learned long ago for viewers who grew up with a similar heartbreaking dynamic.