Review: The Pavilion at IFFO

Synopsis
In WWII-era Ontario, two sisters take inspiration from a magical storybook to help their ailing mother.

At the end of WWII, two sisters are sent to live with relatives as their mother is hospitalized with tuberculosis in Pixie Cram’s short film The Pavilion.  The girls take solace in nature, when objects from a storybook they are reading magically come to life, guiding them on a journey to find their mother.  

In her director’s statement, Cram writes:
“The starting point for this film was researching about women who served and died in the Canadian forces during WWII.  They didn’t die at the front.  The most common cause of death was from tuberculosis.  I was also thinking about the resilience of children who can escape through their imagination.”

The story is told without dialogue with beautiful cinematography and an immersive score.  It is a calm meditation that blends live-action with stop-motion animation.  Cinematographer Matthieu Hallé’s use of natural light enhances the authenticity of the hand-crafted props and costumes.  The meditative vibe is enhanced by Angela Sheihauf’s immersive score and the archival audio of radio broadcasts that are heard in the background.

Shortly after a screening at this year’s International Film Festival of Ottawa, the Digital Resource Arts Centre hosted a screening and artist talk where Cram shared some details about the origins and inspirations for the film, and the challenges and complications that the team had to navigate during the shoot, including an uninvited visit from a black bear that forced a location change.

Like her previous film Emergency Broadcast that takes place in a nuclear fallout, Pixie Cram’s The Pavilion is a WWII-era period piece with intricate attention to detail, beautiful cinematography and immersive soundscape.  A magical experience.

More info & links:

• Director: Pixie Cram
• Cast: Myrielle Bernier-Acuna, Carole Brown, Tina Le Moine
• The Pavilion on IMDB

Jith Paul

Web Designer, Editor, Film Reviewer

Jith Paul is an independent filmmaker based in Ottawa. While pursuing a career as a software engineer, he decided to take a detour to follow his passion for film and filmmaking, establishing Treepot Media in 2010.

He is a co-founder of the Ottawa Canadian Film Festival, where he served on the board until 2024. He is currently the editor of the film613 blog.

When he is not busy fighting crime, he coordinates the efforts of an international team of software developers and service providers as the Team Lead for Digital Development at CPAC, the Cable Public Affairs Channel.

Follow Jith on letterboxd. More at jithpaul.com