Quebec movie Chien blanc explores the lines between white alliances and white privilege

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“I’ve never been so deeply aware of my whiteness,” Anaïs Barbeau-Lavallette said recently.

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The acclaimed Quebec director describes the process of filming Chen Blanc, his fourth feature film in 1970, based on the semi-autobiographical novel by noted author and French Consul General in Los Angeles, Romain Gary. rice field. The book tells the story of how Gary and his wife, American actress Jean Seberg, found and attempted to reprogram a former Southern Police dog trained to attack black people.

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Set in 1968 Los Angeles, this bilingual film is in the midst of the protests and social upheaval following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King (although it was primarily shot in Vancouver and Montreal). A long-standing battle against racism.

Barbeau-Lavalette first read Chien blanc while filming the 2012 film Inch’Allah. It depicts a Quebec doctor working in Palestine as his motives are questioned in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The filmmakers quickly realized the connection between the two stories.

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“Inquirer is about a Quebec foreigner who participates in a conflict that doesn’t belong to him,” she said. What is the position of a privileged white man or woman in a conflict that does not belong to them? Is there a place? What is a good ally?”

For Barbeau-Lavalette, who co-wrote Cham Blanc with Valerie Beaugrand-Champagne, the story resonates in the present day following the death of George Floyd and the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement.

For Gary (played with solemnity and sensitivity by impassioned French actor Denis Menochet), dogs are symbols of the evil men do and how racism is taught. So the dog represents the opposite hope, unable to retrain and learn the racist methods. Gary takes the animal to a black trainer, Keyes (KC Collins).

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For Seberg (Canadian actress Casey Rolle), who sympathizes with the Black Panther cause and participates in their protests, dogs are dangerous and must be put down. I have. Her presence draws media attention wherever she goes, inevitably creating stories about her as opposed to the causes she supports.

As a white director making a film about anti-black racism, Barbeau-Lavalette was conscious of her delicate position in the process. She hired black filmmakers Marise Leganeur and Will Prosper as consultants for the project. She feared what they would say to her, but was often challenged by their observations.

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“They were really there to point out my blind spots,” she said. They added a very useful layer of doubt.I learned a lot and as a result the movie is better and deeper and more true.It’s not perfect.It has its flaws but It’s a step towards dialogue and a step towards making sure we don’t stay in the camp.”

All three had reason to hesitate, she opined. Legagneur and her Prosper, if she missed the mark, she risked being criticized in the community for collaborating with a white director. And Barbeau-Lavalette feared making her mistake.

“We could have remained in fear,” she said. It was precarious, but it was necessary.

“I hope Chen Bran can act as a mirror for white audiences as a way of saying, ‘We’ve been privileged, so what should we do with that privilege now?'”

Chenburan (white dog) I’ll be at the theater on Friday.

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