It's been awhile since I sat down and watched this movie yet, it's stuck in my head, torturing me. This film is the full length equivalent of "Simple Jack", a movie that Ben Stiller's character in Tropic Thunder starred in, to which Downey Jr.'s character says "never go full retard". The actor playing Babine takes "full retard" to a new level and it's played completely serious.The evil priest hates Babine because he thinks Babine urinated in his milk. And that sort of kick-starts the story. Yes folks, not making that up.Everyone in town loves Babine because he's mentally handicapped? Or something? He's presented as some sort of whimsical magical person, although he does nothing to make the audience believe this. We're supposed to automatically like a character because he's mentally handicapped and all the other characters seem to like him for no other reason than that?It's hard to put into words. The production value is good but it's one of the most perplexingly bad movies I've ever seen. How did this get made?I have never written a review on IMDb before but seeing that it seems to get some praise, I had to speak up.I've not seen any other French-Canadian film other than this one that I can recall. The basics of storytelling are thrown so far out the window that I'm not surprised.

Oh wow, what a great movie! Not one in the public spotlight and I was lucky enough to watch it on DVD with subtitles, always a help with French films. An exceptional story about a village idiot, great fantasy theme,typically french, the Americans wouldn't get close to making such a good film as this. I am always on the lookout for good French films and this is right up there. Don't miss it whatever you do - even if you don't have subtitles, just enjoy the beauty of the story and the film itself. Ironically it reminded me a little of Benjamin Button and even lestat in that vampire movie. an amusing entertaining movie. No big names and probably filmed on a budget but this film made my night!

I went to see the movie last night at my local theater. I was very pleasantly surprised. Fred Pellerin, the writer and narrator of the movie, has been able to weave an extraordinary tale, a bit like Tim Burton's Big Fish. For people outside the Province of Québec, Fred Pellerin is a storyteller, much in the vein of Jim Henson's Storyteller, but with all the energy of Robin Williams when he's on stage, and twisting words to give them new meanings. Thankfully, he tones down his enthusiasm here, to let the characters come to life.It tells the story of a town idiot in the village of Saint-Élie-de-Caxton. From his birth to his death, his life is divided in chapters where we see how being a simpleton born of a single woman considered a witch in a small village can cause all sorts of trouble.Luc Picard, who plays Toussaint Brodeur, does a good job at directing the movie. The effects are pretty good, considering the low budget, and all the actors give a good performance, especially Vincent-Guillaume Otis in the lead role.The only downside for anyone who doesn't speak French, or who isn't familiar with Québécois, will be the difficulty to understand some expressions, especially since they have been twisted to give them new meaning.