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LES FILMS CHRISTAL PRESENT

A LYLA FILMS PRODUCTION

A FILM BY LÉA POOL

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE

WITH

AND WITH THE PARTICIPATION OF

Benedicamus domino.

Deo gratias.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi: dona nobis pacem.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

You may begin.

Sister Lise, which Saint are we celebrating today?

Saint Apollonia, Mother, a virgin martyr from Alexandria.

What good did she do?

She is venerated for curing toothaches.

Is she included on the new liturgical calendar?

I don't know.

We ordered it from the motherhouse, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Like everything else.

Go on.

"In the year 249 AD,

Saint Apollonia was captured during a riot against the Christians

and so savagely beaten that her teeth and jaw were broken.

After she refused to renounce Christ,

the pagans threw her on the fire, burning her alive."

Well then!

And yet here, we freeze.

Sister Claude, I admire your frugality.

I can't say the same for your sense of comfort.

Even the porridge is cold.

We have to cut somewhere.

So, what's the news?

I've chosen an article that concerns us all.

I'm warning you, Mother, the writer doesn't mince words.

"Show them the door!

No longer shall nuns produce

masses of undereducated good Christians."

Like I said: the pagans are back.

What key are we in?

B major?

Yes, but it won't stay there.

Each chord brings a new emotion.

Back to F minor. Intriguing.

What is unique about this fantasia?

-He wrote it in two days. -Perhaps.

But it's the most puzzling piece of his that I've ever heard.

The moment we detect the slightest melody,

Mozart, perhaps thirsting for freedom,

transports us elsewhere.

It's here!

Careful! Slowly, slowly!

It's not on there right.

It's all about music at this school.

Don't you play an instrument?

The most majestic organ of all, Ms. Lepage:

the French language.

Please do the honours, Mother.

Please have it tuned.

Careful! It's icy.

Times are tough, Mother General.

Everything is moving so fast.

Modernism is attacking us on all fronts:

Vatican II, loss of faith, fewer vocations,

and worst of all: the Ministry of Education.

But has the Church lost all its influence, Your Eminence?

We no longer have any power.

The government is taking control of everything:

health, education...

They're barely allowing us to keep our boys' schools.

Prepare for the worst:

the exodus to public schools cannot be stopped.

Thank you for your visit, Your Eminence.

SACRÉ-COEUR CONGREGATION

Mother General.

Mother Augustine, what a nice surprise!

I wasn't expecting to see you so soon.

We're here for the auditions.

Ah, yes!

For the Provincial Piano Competition.

I hope your efforts are rewarded. Come by my office.

Go on in.

Thank you.

Concert tickets, a grand piano and what else?

So many expenses! But where is the revenue?

You know as I do, you can't put a price on talent.

No, but I can put a price on running a school!

We received an enormous bill for heating oil that has yet to be paid.

Our oil supplier is proving to be much less generous than his father.

Your ambitions were always encouraged by the late lamented Mother Marie-Thérèse,

but we must set the record straight:

your obsession with music is costing us a fortune.

What do you intend to do?

I intend to pay for it, as we've always done.

I was planning on discussing it with my convent's benefactors.

"My"! Always "my"!

Tell me, Mother Augustine,

humility, sense of community, obedience, when do you apply all that?

Every day.

However, our idea of community differs, because at my convent,

the wealthier parents pay for the poorer ones.

This method of accounting seems to me to be more...

communal...

and much more Christian.

Thank you.

How is my little music school doing?

You seem troubled, Mother Augustine.

Having problems with the new administration?

Not yet, but I fear the worst.

Our new Mother General is fond of numbers.

She hates music,

at least, what little she understands of it.

Let's start with Bach.

If God owed anything to anyone, it would be to Bach!

The parts are all distinct.

Good rhythm.

Class B, but soon she'll be in A.

Beethoven!

She's strong for her size.

Class B.

Scarlatti!

Her technique is remarkable.

My only reservation is that it lacks emotion.

It's a little cold.

But she will be a great pianist.

Class A.

Good work, Mother Augustine.

-She won't let up. -That's how she is.

Alice!

Who's that?

She must be new.

Come in.

What can I do for you, Margot?

"Margot"!

I haven't heard that in ages.

We haven't seen each other in ages either.

What can I do for you?

You have to take Alice.

In the middle of the year?

I'm moving to Toronto.

I got a job there as a tutor.

-And Antoine? -Antoine?

He's probably on tour somewhere.

It doesn't matter, anyway.

We've been separated for ages.

He's still her father.

He's a musician, Simone.

You really dodged a bullet there.

I'll pay her fees once I'm back on my feet.

I'd feel better knowing you were the one taking care of my daughter.

Can you let Sister Onésime know we have a new student?

CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THIS HOUSE

Ms. Champagne!

When a nun addresses you, you respond with:

"Yes, Sister. No, Sister. Thank you, Sister."

And when you wish to address her,

you don't stare her down; you lower your gaze, modestly.

Do you understand?

Yes.

"Yes, Sister".

It's quite simple. On your knees!

I need to check that your skirt is of decent length.

A new student, Ms. Alice Champagne.

Have a seat next to Ms. Gauthier.

Ladies...

Mother, tell me something.

Who is Alice Champagne?

Which convent has she arrived from?

You always forget to let me know about these things!

She's my niece.

Now you know.

Dear Lord, we take on this task out of our love for You.

Get ready for dictation!

I really liked the poncho you were wearing before.

"Some twenty years ago...

we paddled along a Mediterranean stream...

while beetles...

produced stridulations with their lovely elytra...

on the stems and leaves of the Grecian laurel trees...

which jettisoned...

their red, withered petals."

We are going through a year of great upheaval...

in our lives and in the world.

A difficult year...

wherein a number of challenges will shake our faith.

Above all,

do not settle for shallow convictions.

And may the purity and innocence of your youth

forever protect you from the disillusionment of age.

I wish you grace. Let us go in the peace of the Lord.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

This was my last visit.

Really?

I'm retiring.

I can't handle the winter anymore, or Vatican II!

Turning the altar around to face people,

switching from Latin to French, modern music...

I'm too old.

I'm going to live in Florida!

I've always admired you, Sister.

Your little convent...

is a great school.

How long have you been here?

Four years.

You've put up with this crap for four years?

It's better than being at home.

Your home mustn't be much fun.

My mom really likes cocktails.

Well then!

Show me what you can do.

Three, four.

She's really good.

You do have a modest talent.

Who did you learn from?

Bach for the prelude. Myself for the rest.

Show me your hands.

You have good hands.

But talent alone is not enough. One must still work.

Why turn Bach into jazz?

I enjoy it.

Before making your own arrangement, you must master it as is.

Otherwise, you'll never make it further than this bench!

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Good night, my Guardian Angel. I commend myself to you.

You watched over me in the day; watch over me in the night,

and protect me from danger and sudden death.

Amen.

Your bid, Sister Onésime.

Seven of clubs.

Eight of hearts.

You've got good hands tonight!

Which brings us to the subject of the regulation of childbirth.

How does this affect you?

I was lucky. I only had twelve children.

Women should have the right to control the number of pregnancies they have.

Enough with the twenty-one pregnancies and fifteen births.

You're moving ahead too fast.

We should wait for the Pope's answer on the matter.

How can they speak of such things on the radio?

The Church has handled these issues for centuries!

Wake up, Sister Lise!

It's still another man making decisions on women's behalf.

What the pill will do is allow women to decide for themselves.

This is not something that should be taken up with God.

One, two, three, go!

Periphrasis!

Periphrasis is used in dark and difficult times,

when thinking becomes muddled

and gives way to a series of words, each more useless than the last.

Do you understand what I mean by periphrasis?

It is the opposite of clarity!

Here, in our fine province,

periphrasis has become our national disease.

We must travel through Ottawa to get to Quebec City!

Alice Champagne, give me that!

Come with me.

Look at your protégée's vulgarity.

How much longer will you allow this in our school?

Have a feel, my dear Lord!

You think this is funny?

-I didn't do it. -That's enough of your lies!

I'm telling you, it wasn't me!

I was practicing piano in my head.

Don't make me regret accepting you at this convent.

I can go if you want.

I'd rather see the result of this practice.

It's good, but it could be better.

Start over. This time count out loud.

One, two, three, four.

All right, play bars three and four with your hands crossed.

It's going to be a hard road if you want to win the competition.

I hope you're ready to put in the work.

Let's try the prelude again.

I could give you the same speech

I gave to all the other nuns who've been in my office lately.

But I can speak frankly with you.

Our congregation is up against a formidable enemy:

the State, which is taking back control of education.

If our congregation is to survive,

we must reform.

What's your plan?

Our biggest institutions are not at risk.

The rich schools?

You could say that,

if you mean the institutions that instruct the young women

who will become the wives of our great men.

You mean maids.

I teach my girls to aspire to more than that.

Let's get back to the facts.

We will no longer be able to financially support

all of our institutions.

Most parents will choose free schooling for their children.

We have to face reality.

You want to close my convent?

I didn't know you were its owner!

Nothing is set for now.

All our little convents are unique, you know.

But only one is a music school.

Are you prepared to work with me?

I will always choose my convent.

We're being treated like little country nuns in a one-room school!

She didn't talk about Providence, Novenas, the Lord's Prayer?

I must say that I'm not surprised.

We'll have to work hard if we don't want to be all separated.

And let's get with the times!

We look like 18th-century widows.

Our Lord, bless us and bless this meal

Thank you, O Lord

To share this place To give thanks for this food

Thank you, O Lord, thank you

Thank you, O Lord

You may begin.

-What news? -The Saint of the day, Mother.

Let's skip the Saint.

We should pray instead for our convent's survival.

Barring a miracle, we won't be here much longer.

The new public schools are threatening our convent.

That's our Mother General's conclusion.

Our congregation is abandoning us?

We haven't said our last word yet.

We're going to fight...

for our convictions,

for our girls, for music,

for everything we believe is right.

And most of all...

because I truly love this convent.

When you first came here

with your big musical projects, I thought you were crazy.

But when we won the silver medal at the Provincial Piano Competition,

I was the proudest nun in the room.

I've been running the refectory for 30 years...

There's no way I'm leaving!

He won't stop looking at you.

Yes, he's cute.

Who's that?

Marie-Louise's mother.

She keeps the convent going.

You should see their house.

They even have an angel pissing in a fountain.

We have to convince the motherhouse

of our convent's importance in the community...

highlight its merits.

Absolutely.

One sugar, right?

After all, your daughter won silver at the province's top competition.

Music is the main reason why I sent my daughter to this convent.

But to save it, it will take more than indulgences.

You must dare to do what nuns have never done: make some noise...

a lot of noise.

You have to come out of the shadows and alert the media.

First it was electricity. Now it's education and health...

Are we going to nationalize the Church too?

Our whole world is crumbling.

Let's fight!

-Starting with our convent. -Absolutely!

I'll take care of the media. You handle the invitations.

Girls...

My dear girls...

Rumours have been going around about our convent.

But I want to reassure you that instead of closing our doors,

we'll be opening them up to the media...

to show them what we do best: music.

I'm expecting your complete cooperation.

It's up to us to defend our convent

and to make this event a success.

I would not use the word 'revolution' like my colleague René Lévesque yesterday.

I think it's a bit over-dramatic.

Do you think this situation can have a positive outcome

for the population, for teachers, etc. ?

Since our plan is to standardize, throughout the province of Quebec,

the wages of teachers,

we must negotiate with everybody in mind.

We are on strike so our profession can be recognized as such.

We want work rights.

We want the people to understand

that teachers are not volunteers or missionaries.

The country school teacher getting $15 a month, that's over!

We want to be recognized for our work. Equal work, equal pay.

We are not cheap labor.

"Cheap labour"!

So-called French teachers, using English expressions!

Enough with the days when women were paid half the wages of men...

And nuns even less than women!

-You sound like a union member. -No, like an avant-garde woman.

Must I remind you of your vow of poverty?

A virtue that coincides with a lack of self-assurance.

Modernity is killing me.

Public schools threaten us. The State controls education.

Would you sign our petition?

Would you help us save our convent?

Thank you for all you're doing, Mother Augustine.

Sign over here, sir. Thank you.

Look at him. What a pitiful performance!

The Lord loses His greatness

when He becomes a Lord without greatness!

Françoise?

Would you sign our petition?

So that others have to endure Sister Lise? No way!

Ms. Champagne!

Since we'll be speaking with a number of journalists,

today's class will be devoted to diction.

A well-enunciated and properly structured sentence

is a sign of well-organized thought.

Without rules, everything falls apart.

Suzanne Gauthier, stand up!

Repeat after me.

Around the rugged rocks,

the ragged rascal ran!

Around...

Around...

Louder! We can't hear you.

-I'm listening. -Leave her alone.

What did you say?

Leave her alone.

Out!

You too!

Out!

Out!

Bunch of crazy old bats!

Wait for me Alice!

I need this floor so polished

I can see my reflection in it.

It has to shine.

Put your heart in it!

Our reputation is at stake.

Skate! Skate! Skate!

But keep the rhythm.

And don't let me catch you skating in the wrong direction!

Rub, rub, rub!

And turn!

Rub again,

and change sides.

Rub, rub, rub!

And turn!

Rub again, and switch lines!

Do any of you know where Ms. Champagne and Ms. Gauthier are?

You should ask Sister Lise.

It would be unfortunate if your silence forced me

to call your mother 24 hours before such an important event.

They're in town.

At the Notre-Dame-des-Neiges dance.

Tattletale!

Whoa, man!

It's like two statues moving in black and white!

Don't go! We're all going to the same place!

We're all happy!

That was for dragging Suzanne down here.

And this...

Mother...

She's ruining her life!

All I can tell you, Alice...

is that thanks to you...

I had a great night.

Now you are the body of Christ.

It's my body.

SAVE OUR CONVENT

After all the recent upheavals in education,

the nuns at a small convent by the Richelieu River

have sounded the alarm amidst worries about their future.

We have lost our houses

Our enemies took everything, everything

Even our little beds

They burned down the school And our teacher

They burned down the church And our Lord Jesus Christ

And the poor old man Who could not get away...

Mrs. Thompson, Mister Deputy...

My wife has told me that your convent is an exceptional school

that my district cannot do without.

Thank you.

Your presence here is greatly appreciated.

Mother...

-Mister Deputy! -No, I'm sorry!

This isn't the time. We're already late.

Mother, what an honour!

I didn't want to get my hopes up!

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

The day I set foot in this convent,

I wanted music to be free from any class distinction.

I made it my mission.

And we succeeded!

Our little school is a musical jewel

that has earned several major piano awards

and has made our village and our community proud.

Here, our girls learn

that music can be a prayer for the soul,

that it can drive hate out of a loveless heart,

that it can give peace to the restless.

What you are about to hear was written by our students,

based on a piece by Schubert.

We are girls passionate about music

We divide our time Between playing and practicing

Our instruments with rhythm and joy

We aim for harmony

We welcome you, dear friends

With this piece by Schubert

With this piece by Schubert

We chose it as our model

And we are faithful to his melodies

We stand with Schubert

We stand with Schubert

Upon your visit here

You will get a sense of our dreams

Our tastes and our destinies

You can read them on our lips

Walking down our halls

You may hear tunes

Built upon lovely chords

Written by Schubert

Written by Schubert

We stand with Schubert

We stand with Schubert

Dear Schubert

Marie-Louise is an extraordinary student.

-Would you like a sandwich? -Why, yes!

-She's very mature. -Yes.

Learning to listen is the right of every newborn child.

No one can deny the role that nuns have played

in the teaching of music

since the founding of our colony.

And now, we're being asked to bow out without saying a word?

Alice Champagne refuses to come down, Mother.

I want to go home.

I'm sorry, Alice.

My actions were deplorable.

I was terribly worried.

You're too young to be intimate with a boy.

Have you considered the consequences?

You know, when I was your age,

I fell in love.

Yes, I know. My mother told me.

I may not know what young love feels like anymore,

but this takes me back to a time when I was deeply hurt.

It was the Russian, right?

I have big plans for my daughter.

Classes with a well-known American teacher

and a tour with the Youth Orchestra.

-What a success, Mother! -Thanks to you, Mrs. Thompson.

It's the Liszt that you played when you were in the competition.

We've found our gold medallist.

A real little Mozart.

And almost as much of a rascal as the original.

Ms. Simone Beaulieu, student of Sergei Berkovich.

"A musical jewel by the Richelieu River.

If there's one convent we should save,

it is Mother Augustine's."

Typical Augustine!

Mother Augustine, please.

"'Here, our faith is put to the service of music',

said the passionate Mother Superior.

Thanks to her, for over 15 years,

her girls, as she likes to call them,

have learned to love Chopin, Bach, Beethoven."

Mission accomplished.

Have you forgotten all you were taught when you were a novice?

Beyond being a religious order, we are a religious community.

A community!

This word doesn't seem to be a part of your vocabulary.

You want to play by your own rules.

In these difficult times, we should all pray as one.

Have faith in...

...Providence, who has always seen to your future.

Still, we must help it out, Mother.

The heavens often turn a deaf ear.

Are you looking for excitement, Ms. Hudon?

Get away from the radiator!

Write!

"Where there is no master, everyone is master;

where everyone is master, everyone is a slave."

You're squeaking, Sister.

You're squeaking in B flat minor.

Just because you can identify a simple note,

you think anything goes?

Being Mother Superior's niece doesn't give you every right.

Should I sit or go downstairs?

Sit back down.

Come in.

You humiliated me.

You humiliated me in front of the whole class.

Where you should be teaching now, Sister Lise.

What do you know about humiliation? You're a city girl.

My father wasn't a church organist.

No one forced me to become a nun.

I entered the convent for relief,

to finally live and breathe without worrying.

But now,

with all these changes...

Taking the veil allowed you and I to forget our suffering.

But what seemed just yesterday isn't necessarily just today.

Change is sometimes needed.

Have faith in the future.

That's enough improvising!

And if you don't take your foot off the pedal, I'll tie it down!

You can't always get carried away by your feelings!

Once you've won the competition, you can take liberties.

But in front of the judges,

adding a chord or omitting a rest means elimination.

The choice is yours!

A cabaret or Carnegie Hall?

But Carnegie Hall doesn't mean being precious,

like some pianists who don't understand Chopin.

What can help us to understand a musical phrase?

Tino Rossi.

Tino Rossi.

The man who understands Chopin's soul best.

What a wonderful love song!

It's... my mother's favourite.

We're listening, Suzanne.

We've always held together.

And we'll continue to do so.

But we must stop living in the past. That's the only way we'll survive.

The Vatican is asking us to be less pompous, more approachable...

So within a few weeks, you'll be receiving new habits.

And on St. Valerie's Day,

we will all remove our veils.

Not all of us!

That order comes from the motherhouse.

You're blind.

You're all blind!

Don't you see that they're planning to get rid of us?

We'll find ourselves without a veil, a habit, or a convent when we're 80.

We'll be alone, and we'll be the last ones.

So? Can we see them?

Nope.

I can't try on my habit?

No.

Just the skirt. It must need hemming.

No!

Do you know if they're giving us garments

for our private areas?

It's called underwear.

I just mean the top. I don't usually wear bottoms.

Pulling up a skirt, and another, and the dress, and the apron,

then pulling down underwear to sit down is too much!

Whenever I can, I don't wear any.

I should've thought of that sooner.

Do we still call you "Sister"?

It's as much of a shock for us as it is for you.

It's more than a change of habit,

it's... a change of identity.

The days when nuns were seen...

as anonymous women are over.

It's up to you now, my dear girls,

to make your way in society and meet the challenges that await you.

I brought you the new crosswords.

I feel naked.

You're not the only one whom feels naked.

"Who", Mother.

Not "whom."

Yes.

I can see you're feeling better.

Thank you.

Now that we've joined the modern age, Sister St-Donat,

I might as well tell you: the food we're eating isn't good.

It's bland. It's tasteless.

And spices aren't that expensive.

We can't take it.

Monday, shepherd's pie; Tuesday, baloney;

Wednesday, stew; Thursday, beans...

-Thursday is hash. -Enough of that, too!

And cabbage!

Cabbage, cabbage! We can't take any more cabbage.

I was always told to be modest.

Modesty doesn't apply to vegetables.

A little imagination, Sister!

I didn't become a nun to use my imagination.

Girls! Come here!

We don't just sing and make music at our convent.

We have to learn to play dirty if we want equality!

Let's go, girls!

Come on, girls!

Let's go, Marie-Louise!

Alice, go get changed. We're leaving.

Where are we going?

Mom!

You're like your daughter now,

running away from home!

-You never went to Toronto, right? -Shh...

You've changed.

You know, Alice,

your mother put you in the convent to protect you.

Is she going to die?

We never know when the Good Lord will come for us...

but it is serious.

I don't want to do the competition.

With talent comes doubt.

It's just nerves,

fear of the unknown.

Jean-Paul Ouellette, appraiser.

I'm here to appraise the building.

It won't take long, just some measurements,

and I'll check the roof, the plumbing and the windows.

Has the building been surveyed recently?

-Who sent you? -Your boss.

She didn't tell you?

Tell my boss that nothing is for sale here.

You know what the Church needs? More women!

A female pope!

Except that our worst enemy is a woman.

Yes.

We can't deal with the Church.

Only the ones who got us in this mess can get us out of it.

We have to go to Quebec City and meet the Minister of Education.

So, I should call Mrs. Thompson?

Do we have any other choice?

Her vanity is our best ally.

Are we waiting for Mr. Thompson?

Mr. Thompson got held up with the Minister of Transportation.

Are we waiting for the Minister of Education?

The Minister asked me to handle the meeting.

My husband and I heard that the bishops managed

to get funding for their boys' schools,

and we wanted to know

if the State would also be funding girls' schools.

If the concept applies to the boys,

it should also apply to the girls.

We wouldn't want nuns,

servants of the Lord, His Eminence, the canon,

the curate, the priest, the verger...

...exploited for their cheap labour like all factory women...

...not to have access to the same loopholes

the bishops are using to fund their boys' schools.

We're talking about subsidies for private schools.

Yes.

I can see that you understand the nature of our request.

Still, your motherhouse

must grant you permission.

Yes? I understand this is urgent?

I think I've found a way to save my convent

and possibly all our congregation's convents.

You're still struggling with humility.

This is a petition signed by citizens

who testified to my convent's importance in the region.

And there's more.

We met with the Deputy Minister of Education

who wishes to inform you that my convent could benefit

from the same funding as a public school

if it separates from the congregation.

In other words, if it becomes independent.

Do you think this is news to me?

I've known all that for a long time.

Your efforts to save our congregation are laudable.

However, Providence has decided otherwise for your convent.

It has been sold.

The heavens often turn a deaf ear, isn't that right?

Your improvising was always tolerated,

but I think you were given too much leeway.

A teaching position awaits you at our boarding school in Rouyn.

That is your future within our congregation.

I...

I'm leaving the religious life, Sisters.

Where did you expect me to go?

I couldn't even bring a child into the world.

But I've done my time.

I've carried my cross.

I'll always be there for Alice.

I'll be there, I swear.

She could've been your daughter.

Ms. Alice Champagne, student of Simone Beaulieu.

"The Simone Beaulieu Music School" has a nice ring to it, no?

Selling her convent was a big mistake.

Bravo, Alice!

THE PASSION OF AUGUSTINE