The High Cost of Living
Canada, 2010 (fiction, 95 minutes, colour, Cantonese / English / French)
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Also known as
"Le prix à payer"
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Image: © Filmoption International |
Film Description: "The High Cost of Living is the story of Nathalie, a young pregnant woman whose world falls apart when she loses her baby in a hit-and-run accident. As her life unravels, she stumbles across Henry—who has been searching for his victim. Unaware of what he has done, Nathalie sees him as an unlikely guardian angel." -- Telefilm Canada
(source)
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Film Credits (partial): |
Written by: |
Deborah Chow |
Produced by: |
Kim Berlin, Susan Schneir |
Principal Cast: |
Anick Lemay, Zach Braff, Julian Lo, Isabelle Blais, Patrick Labbé, Sean Lu, Aimée Lee |
Cinematography: |
Claudine Sauvé |
Film Editing: |
Benjamin Duffield, Jonathan Alberts |
Music: |
Normand Corbeil |
Production Company: |
HCOL Productions |
(sources)
Award won by The High Cost of Living
Notes about The High Cost of Living
- Filmed in Montreal.
- Selected as one of the ten best Canadian feature films of 2010 for the Canada's Top Ten Film Festival in 2011.
(sources)
Quotes by the Director [in French]
"J'avais deux choses majeures en tête: la ville de Montréal et le personnage de la femme enceinte. Je voulais que tous les personnages portent en eux la dimension du titre du film [The High Cost of Living], le prix à payer. Il y a des choses qui arrivent dans la vie auxquelles on ne s'attend pas et qu'on doit accepter."
-- Deborah Chow
(source)
"Je tenais à tourner mon premier film à Montréal. Culturellement parlant, c'est la ville la plus stimulante au Canada. J'aime son architecture, ses quartiers. Quand j'étudiais à McGill, je fréquentais le Plateau et le Quartier chinois et, naturellement, ces endroits jouent un rôle-clé dans le récit."
-- Deborah Chow
(source)
Quotes about The High Cost of Living
"The High Cost of Living, a somber morality tale set in Quebec, bears all the hallmarks of an uncompromising indie drama: a downbeat scenario, flawed protagonists, a strongly regional inflection. This debut feature by the Canadian director Deborah Chow is so artistically well-intentioned and earnest in its ambitions that you can almost forgive the banality of its every scene."
-- Paul Brunick
(source)
"With the heart-wrenching, beautifully articulated The High Cost of Living, Canadian writer-director Deborah Chow makes an exceptionally accomplished feature debut. She is as gifted a writer as she is a director, and no wonder Zach Braff and French Canadian star Isabelle Blais were attracted to her project. Set in a noirish, gleaming Montreal, this handsome, captivating, well-paced and stylish film is fully realized in every aspect."
-- Kevin Thomas
(source)
Quotes about The High Cost of Living [in French]
"Profitant d'une direction photo hivernale soignée donnant lieu à de fort belles scènes dans le Quartier chinois [de Montréal], le film oppose deux protagonistes extrêmement complexes. D'ailleurs, la finesse avec laquelle la cinéaste et scénariste rend compte des bouleversements de l'un et de l'autre tient parfois de la haute voltige."
-- François Lévesque
(source)
"[Deborah] Chow montre une belle sensibilité dans la façon d'aborder l'histoire d'un couple réuni dans la tourmente. Isabelle Blais (candidate de choix à un Jutra d'interprétation) et l'Américain Zach Braff [...] se complètent à merveille dans leur fragilité et leur vulnérabilité, au coeur d'un Montréal bilingue que la jeune réalisatrice filme avec inspiration."
-- Normand Provencher
(source)
Bibliography for The High Cost of Living
Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites
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Brunick, Paul. "Life's intersections, random twists of fate." Review of The High Cost of Living. New York Times, September 8, 2011.
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Côté, Émilie. "Drame bilingue au coeur de Montréal." La Presse, April 16, 2011.
[in French]
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Lacey, Liam. "The High Cost of Living: Contrived story makes for a bit of a car crash." Review of The High Cost of Living. Globe and Mail, April 22, 2011.
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Lévesque, François. "À voir à la télévision le dimanche 13 novembre — Pleurer l'enfant qu'on a encore dans le ventre." Review of The High Cost of Living. Le Devoir, November 12, 2011.
[in French]
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Lévesque, François. "Cinéma — Autour d'un film montréalais." Le Devoir, April 16, 2011.
[in French]
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Ouzounian, Richard. "Zach Braff: His garden state of mind." Interview with Zach Braff. Toronto Star, April 11, 2011.
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Provencher, Normand. "Une erreur à racheter sans faute." Review of The High Cost of Living. Le Droit (Ottawa), April 23, 2011.
[in French]
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Provencher, Normand. "La vie à tout prix." Review of The High Cost of Living. Le Soleil (Québec), September 16, 2010.
[in French]
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Simon, Alissa. "The High Cost of Living: Zach Braff starrer suffers from major problems of tone as well as stilted camerawork and editing." Review of The High Cost of Living. Variety, September 20, 2010.
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Thomas, Kevin. "Movie review: 'The High Cost of Living'." Review of The High Cost of Living. Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2011.
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Tremblay, Odile. "Premier film sans ancrage." Review of The High Cost of Living. Le Devoir, April 23, 2011.
[in French]
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Wilner, Norman. "Interview: Zach Braff; Actor tries to mix up his sensitive-guy image with indie flick." Interview with Zach Braff. Now (Toronto), April 11, 2011.
Web Sites about The High Cost of Living