The Torrent (2012 film)

The Torrent (French: Le torrent) is a Canadian drama film, directed by Simon Lavoie and released in 2012.^[1] An adaptation of Anne Hébert's novella Le Torrent,^[2] the film centres on the life of François (played by Anthony Therrien as a child and Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon as an adult), a man who was raised by his devoutly religious and abusive mother Claudine (Dominique Quesnel).^[3] Left deaf when his refusal to obey her demand that he enter the seminary to become a Catholic priest led Claudine to hit him on the head, he has continued to live in rural isolation, and struggles to establish human connection when he purchases Amica (Laurence Leboeuf), a woman being sold into slavery who is eerily similar to his mother in her youth.^[4]

The Torrent
Film poster
French	Le torrent
Directed by	Simon Lavoie
Written by	Simon Lavoie
Based on	Le Torrent 1950 book by Anne Hébert
Produced by	Jacques Blain Sylvain Corbeil
Starring	Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon Dominique Quesnel Laurence Leboeuf
Cinematography	Mathieu Laverdière
Edited by	Nicolas Roy
Music by	Normand Corbeil
Production company	Lusio Films
Release date	October 15, 2012 (2012-10-15) (FNC)
Running time	152 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	French

The film premiered at the Festival du nouveau cinéma in October 2012.^[5]

The film received six Prix Jutra nominations at the 15th Jutra Awards in 2013, for Best Actor (Trelles Turgeon), Best Actress (Quesnel), Best Art Direction (Éric Barbeau), Best Cinematography (Mathieu Laverdière), Best Original Music (Normand Corbeil) and Best Sound (Luc Boudrias, Marcel Chouinard and Patrice Leblanc).^[6]

Plot summary

The story centers on François, a man raised in rural Quebec by his devoutly religious and abusive mother, Claudine. From childhood, François lives under the oppressive control of his fanatically Catholic mother, who dominates every aspect of his existence with rigid religious doctrine and harsh discipline. Claudine's ultimate ambition is to see her son enter the priesthood, viewing this as both a spiritual calling and a means of maintaining control over him.

The pivotal moment in François's life occurs when he reaches young adulthood and finds the courage to defy his mother's ironclad expectations. When François refuses to comply with Claudine's demand that he enter the seminary to become a Catholic priest, her reaction is swift and violent. In a fit of religious fervor and maternal rage, Claudine strikes him brutally on the head, causing permanent damage that leaves François completely deaf. This act of violence serves as both literal and symbolic severing—cutting François off not only from the world of sound but also marking his definitive break from his mother's suffocating influence.

The deafness becomes a defining characteristic of François's adult life, isolating him further from society and creating an additional barrier to human connection. As an adult, François continues to live in the same rural isolation where he was raised, now haunted by the psychological trauma of his upbringing. The remote Quebec countryside becomes both his refuge and his prison, reflecting his internal state of emotional desolation.

François's attempts to establish meaningful human relationships are consistently undermined by his inability to trust, communicate effectively, or overcome the deep-seated fears instilled by his mother's abuse. His world is turned upside down when he encounters an opportunity to purchase Amica, a young woman being sold into servitude—a practice that speaks to the harsh realities of rural life in the era depicted.

What makes this encounter particularly psychologically complex is Amica's striking physical resemblance to Claudine as she appeared in her youth. This uncanny similarity forces François to confront the unresolved trauma of his relationship with his mother, creating a psychological minefield as he attempts to navigate his feelings toward Amica. The resemblance serves as a constant reminder of his past while simultaneously offering the possibility of a different kind of relationship—one based on mutual respect rather than dominance and control.

Cast

• Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon as François
• Laurence Leboeuf as Amica / Claudine (jeune)
• Dominique Quesnel as Claudine
• Anthony Therrien as François (enfant)
• Marco Bacon as Colporteur
• Roger Blay as Clochard
• Normand Canac-Marquis as Proviseur
• Aubert Pallascio as Vieil instituteur
• Martin Desgagné as instituteur