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The Necktie

A mixture of puppet and hand-drawn animation, The Necktie is the story of Valentin and his quest to find meaning in his life. Stuck in a dead-end job, he has forgotten all about the things that used to bring him joy. Years pass, and boredom replaces all his aspirations and hope for the future. It is only on his 40th birthday, when he rediscovers an old accordion hidden in the depths of his closet, that he regains his lust for life.
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A mixture of puppet and hand-drawn animation, The Necktie is the story of Valentin and his quest to find meaning in his life. Stuck in a dead-end job, he has forgotten all about the things that used to bring him joy. Years pass, and boredom replaces all his aspirations and hope for the future. It is only on his 40th birthday, when he rediscovers an old accordion hidden in the depths of his closet, that he regains his lust for life.

Social Issues Work and Labour Relations All subjects
  • direction
    Jean-François Lévesque
  • script
    Jean-François Lévesque
  • animation
    Jean-François Lévesque
  • puppets
    Jean-François Lévesque
  • 2D animation
    Luc Chamberland
  • script consultant
    Pierre Billon
  • animation assistant
    Valérie Dupras
  • props
    Valérie Dupras
  • sets
    Bertrand Lévesque
  • armatures
    Lionel Ivan Orozco
  • editing
    Natacha Dufaux
  • sound design
    Marie-Claude Gagné
  • music
    Hugo Fleury
  • musician
    Pascal Gingras
    Martin Desjardins
  • foley
    Nicolas Gagnon
  • recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • re-recording
    Serge Boivin
    Jean Paul Vialard
    Shelley Craig
  • digital imaging specialist
    Pierre Plouffe
    Susan Gourley
    Benoît Chagnon
  • compositing
    SteGo
    Jean-François Lévesque
    Jean Yuson Gaudreault
  • scanning
    Pierre Landry
  • electronic technologist
    Richard Fiset
  • online editing
    Denis Gathelier
  • titles
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • marketing manager
    Christine Noël
  • administrator
    Diane Régimbald
  • administrative team
    Diane Ayotte
    Karine Desmeules
    Michèle Labelle
  • technical coordinator
    Julie Laperrière
  • line production
    Francine Langdeau
  • executive producer
    René Chénier
  • producer
    Michèle Bélanger
    Julie Roy

Education

Ages 6 to 17

Notes

This animated film portrays the stages of life starting from late adolescence, when young adults typically enter the job market. With students, get to the root of the filmmaker’s vision and the means he employed to express it. Where does the play of oppositions (brightness/dull grey, relief/flatness, noise/music, repetition/invention, resistance/submission, etc.) lead in the end? In this symbol-rich film, we may wonder about the ambiguous role played by the mother (the neckties), and remark on the absence of the father. What feeling emerges at the end: sadness or joy?

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The Necktie
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