WFF24 | Phoenixes Exposes Canada's Lie

Playing like a diary from director Jonathan Beaulieu-Cyr's childhood, Phoenixes (fr: Phénix) tells a story of time in memoriam, about community and community lost. Its examination of how world events can impact local communities even before they happen creates a fascinating sense of impending doom in a pastoral setting. Beautifully shot by cinematographer Ariane Falardeau St-Amour, with vivid colours (especially the greens and blues), Phoenixes is a visual treat. However, when the movie gets away from its familial plot and savvy cinematography, it strays into political messaging, where it becomes somewhat idealistic in its sentiments.

Set in the mid-2000s, Phoenixes follows Jacob (Aksel Leblanc) during the six weeks prior to his father's deployment to Afghanistan. Jacob's father, Joël (Maxime Genois), is a member of the Canadian military and he tries his best to bond with his son before he goes overseas to fight a dubious war. The movie has autobiographical elements, as Beaulieu-Cyr was raised in a military family. Additionally, the text at the beginning and end of the movie refers to Joël as “my father,” making the audience believe that this is more than just an inspired-by-true-events film. 

One of the first lines of the movie is Jacob's mother, Michelle (Evelyne Brochu), telling Jacob, through laughter, to “go fart in the flowers." In many ways, this is what it feels like Beaulieu-Cyr is doing, going into the beautiful realm of his rose-coloured memories and releasing the disillusioned stink that has fouled his present-day worldview.

What this movie does best is create a subtext of terror. Jacob cannot sleep. He tells his mother that it's because he doesn't want to be like everyone else who sleeps a third of their life away. But, as the movie goes on, we realize what it really is. How can this child sleep when each day brings him closer to his father's demise? What does one expect from a boy whose greatest male role model is weeks away from crossing the globe to fight a vilified group like the Taliban?

The fear of the inevitable permeates all the characters in Phoenixes. The father, Joël, realizing this may be the last few weeks he ever spends with Jacob, pulls out all the stops to making lasting memories. As such, he agrees to coach a worst-in-the-league soccer team, the Phoenixes. Much to Jacob's chagrin, Joël takes his son off his current team and puts him on the Phoenixes so that he can coach him. Joël tries his best to use this opportunity to bond with Jacob, but often ends up alienating the boy. Jacob is clearly the best athlete on the team but Joël feels obliged to give players equal playing time in the name of team spirit.

Jacob's family lives in a community of military families. As such, a sort of unionized mentality permeates their life. The wives discuss what happens if their husbands are KIA. The husbands work, drink and sing together. They all get together on weekends to drink and play Pictionary. This creates a greater subtext of terror as, not only will Jacob potentially lose his father after deployment day, he will potentially lose his whole community.

Joël struggles with his own sense of team spirit. He struggles to decide what team he is most loyal to: his family or his country. He cannot leave behind his brothers in arms. Yet, by choosing the military, he leaves behind his other team of Michelle and Jacob. This is parallel to how Jacob loses his original soccer team when he switches to the Phoenixes. Thus, Phoenixes shows us that no person or nation can serve two teams. Canada cannot be a peacekeeping nation and fight a war at the same time, just like Joël cannot serve his country and his family simultaneously. 

At home, Joël questions why Michelle still tucks Jacob in at night. He questions her as to why Jacob has insomnia. If he ever realizes that he is the cause of Jacob's insomnia and Michelle's excessive doting is dubious. His militaristic stoicism makes Joël incapable of having the hard conversations. Instead, in traditional machismo fashion, he deflects, relying on humour, sex appeal and even song to soothe others without having stern conversations about his own mortality. 

After all, it is Joël's military service that creates instability within the family. This is portrayed through Jacob, who is often reserved, more interested in listening to music than socializing. Even when something positive happens, Jacob has a hard time celebrating because he knows that the moment is fleeting – he knows that today's joy cannot change the doom that awaits. Without a sense of stability, Jacob struggles to find joy. 

The boy cannot fully comprehend his father's motives for going to war. He wonders why Joël can't desert his company. This questioning of the status quo is the beginning of Jacob's journey toward disillusionment. We are aware that Beaulieu-Cyr has completed this journey, as, at the end of the film, he expresses his dissatisfaction with Canada and the “lie” that we are a peacekeeping nation.

Phoenixes is consumed by that perceived lie. To me, as someone who lived his formative years during the War on Terror, the idea of Canada as peacekeeping seems naive. The violence, torture and abandonment of morals we witnessed during the War on Terror disillusioned many of us, young and old. Why we ever believed there was a moral high ground in war is ridiculous. We didn't see it in the late 20th century in Vietnam, the Middle East or Kosovo, and we haven't seen it in the 21st century in Afghanistan and Iraq, and even less so today in Gaza and Ukraine. (I concede that Ukraine is more open to a moral debate, but, out of ignorance, I cannot speak in absolutes on this topic.) As Canadians, we can try to separate ourselves from the rest of the world, but we are a part of the global theatre, and, as such, we have our role to play in these horrific campaigns.

We live with these illusions of how things are when, in reality, they are much bleaker. Beaulieu-Cyr is correct that Canada's peacekeeping modus operandi is a lie, but how could people in the 2000s have thought anything different? I do not come from a military family, so I trust Beaulieu-Cyr has more of an insight into 2000s military thinking and romanticization than I do. But, growing up as a Canadian during this time period, I don't remember hearing this peacekeeping narrative. I only remember the horrors of war as portrayed on the nightly news. 

The movie's attempt to play with this political theme is emphasized in an out-of-place scene at a rink where Joël and his friends play broomball. This scene shows how violence erupts in sports, men lose their temper and throw fits in the dressing room over perceived unfair play. I took this as a metaphor for Canadians being impervious to human nature. War is in our nature, so we are incapable of being peacekeepers. A fine sentiment, but our oxymoronic belief that we're peacekeepers in wars is no more than lip service from Canadian politicians and pundits. On top of that, the scene doesn't fit with the movie, stylistically, and it seems to serve the purpose of driving a message home rather than enriching the plot.

When Phoenixes is at its best, it is a cinematic marvel. I appreciate the director and cinematographer's comfort with stationary shots. One shot near the end, during an exterior night argument, was especially impactful in its confidence to not cut, allowing the multiple characters to interact in a expertly choreographed scene. By holding the camera still, the audience was allowed to feel the tension build organically, rather than being manipulated by edgy cuts and camera angles. If the drama is good enough, real enough, it will get through to us even if the camera is stationary. This is something Beaulieu-Cyr and St-Amour know, and they execute it perfectly.

Phoenixes was a success at the 2024 Whistler Film Festival, winning two Borsos awards. Beaulieu-Cyr won Best Direction and St-Amour won Best Cinematography. I would highly recommend this movie. I think a fair comparable for it is 2022's Aftersun, considering Phoenixes' time period, wardrobe and premise of a parent trying to connect with their child before an impending separation. Although Phoenixes is slightly slow, its story is impactful and it has a strong message, even if I don't entirely agree with its sentiment. It strongly portrays the terror of war and how these horrible events can devastate a family.

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