No Crying at the Dinner Table

The filmmaker places her camera on the kitchen table. Seated at the table, the father, mother, and sister wait—almost resigned—for her to play back the various interviews conducted with each family member, individually. What will emerge from this moment of waiting? The closed-off expressions reveal nothing.

Immense needs for love, often disappointed. Unspoken truths floating above the family narrative. Unresolved griefs. Expectations. Regrets. And a quiet tenderness that envelops every filmed gesture with extraordinary attention. A prayer, a meal, a moment of solitude—each hints that, despite the chasm that seems to have opened through emigration and sacrifice, bonds have been formed, creating a kind of safety net for each family member. And the words, made possible by the director, travel from one to another and begin to unravel knots. And tears are shed at the dining table.

Naomie Décarie-Daigneault
Tënk's Artistic Director