10 ½

A gritty slice of documentary-style social realism, Daniel Grou’s
harrowing feature tells the story of Tommy (Robert Naylor), who at age
10 ½ is already considered a hopeless case by Quebec’s youth protection
system. When his latest foster mother admits defeat, Tommy is sent to a
juvenile detention facility, where care worker Gilles (Claude Legault)
detects a glimmer of hope in this boy who can only express himself with
violence. But Tommy resists affection as much as authority, and Gilles
is pushed to the limit. “We’re immediately reminded of the films of
Truffaut — Tommy feels like a distillation of the young Jean-Pierre
Léaud’s character in The 400 Blows. …The powerful relationship
between Tommy and Gilles, reminiscent of the one between Dr. Itard and
the wild child [in Truffaut’s The Wild Child], takes the film
to another level. The teacher’s daily struggle verges on a crusade,
fired by a near-religious devotion and the conviction that everyone has
the ability to readapt to society. Driven by the outstanding
performances of Legault and the young Naylor, 10 ½ is a
bruising series of storms and lulls from which we emerge exhausted, but
with a sense of hope” (Festival de Nouveau Cinéma, Montreal). Nominated
for eight Genie Awards, including Best Picture, 10 ½ won top prize at the Mannheim-Heidelberg I.F.F. Colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 116 mins.

Post-screening discussants:

Karla Braber, MA is the program coordinator of the
Connect Parent Group Program at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre.
For the past eight years she has been responsible for the systemic
roll-out of Connect throughout the province of BC along with training
and clinical supervision of the leaders of this intervention.

Dr. Marlene M. Moretti, Professor of Psychology,
Simon Fraser University, has published widely in the fields of
developmental psychopathology and the evaluation of treatment programs
and mental health policy. Dr. Moretti leads a multi-site research
program on adolescence, gender and aggression and is committed to
advancing mental health programs to support youth and their families.

Dr. Chris Booth is Clinical Director at the Maples
Adolescent Centre and a clinical instructor in the UBC Department of
Psychiatry. Dr. Booth works with youth in residential treatment and has a
private practice with a focus on adolescents with gender-related
concerns.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.