BROKEN WATERS

Ottawa, 1983. When an ambitious anti-pharma psychiatrist sets out to cure a serial baby-snatching patient, her unconventional methods and unexpected pregnancy combine to unravel every part of her life The seasonal changes depicted throughout the film provide a metaphor for the cycle of psychiatric suffering: the frigid air and isolation of illness, the thawing and warming of healing, and the return of the cold that accompanies relapses. It’s quite a struggle to stay “cured”, and the good weather is, quite naturally, ephemeral…The plot was transposed to Ottawa to include in our Canadian cinematographic heritage, for the first time, a feature-length drama whose cultural context is that of Francophone women in a minority setting. At the conclusion of the first act, a backdrop that depicts the daily intertwining of French and English will have been revealed to the viewer.

• The film tackles women’s struggle with managing pregnancy and trying to break career boundaries with nuance and care. It also addresses the challenge healthcare professionals face of getting attached to their patients.
   Fulcrum

• It’s as riveting as it is haunting. Through a thought–provoking screenplay, engaging acting, and a evocative musical score, ‘Broken Waters’ (French title: ‘Brise glace’) is an immersive account on the shared struggles of trauma, healing, and being a woman (…) Among 17 films, it is no surprise that ‘Broken Waters’ was considered by the Pan
  Canadian Selection Committee to be Canada’s representative in the International Film Award competition at the 95th Academy Awards.
  Film 613

• A new cinema is bringing together Montreal’s great divide: French and English movie fans
  While some bilingual films have found success, like 2006’s Bon Cop Bad Cop, Pickett said they often focus on the clash between the languages and cultures. “In this case here, we have a portrait of what real life is like on a day–to–day basis for Franco–Ontarians in particular, where we use French amongst ourselves and we use English with anglophones, and that’s just the normal everyday life that we lead,” she [the filmmaker] said.
  Radio Canada

• Saskatchewan: RIFFA Regina International Film Festival – August 6, 2023
• London (Ontario) : Forest city Film Festival – September 22, 2023
• Los Angeles: La femme international Film Festival – October 22, 2023
• Ottawa: O Can Film Festival – November 3, 2023
• Nouveau–Brunswick: Festival du film Silver Wave (November)

‘Broken Waters’ was considered by the Pan Canadian Selection Committee to be Canada’s representative in the International Film Award competition at the 95th Academy Awards.