A photographer sets off toward a mysterious forest to find Boychuk, witness and victim of the Great Fire that swept through Northern Ontario at the turn of the 20th century. But before she arrives, she learns that Boychuck has just perished. Survivors of the long-ago fire, Tom and Charlie, two elderly men who have chosen to live out their last days in the woods, are introduced to Marie Desneige, whose 60 year institutionalization has only fueled her passion for life. Meanwhile, the photographer is discovering that Boychuck had been a painter, whose life’s work had been entirely inspired by the Great Fire. The story immerses us in a historical drama while captivating us with the strange lives of these men of the forest. Three men who, in choosing freedom above all else, made a deal with death.
Andrée Lachapelle (November 13, 1931 – November 21, 2019) was a French Canadian actress. Born in Montreal, she trained at age 14 at the Studio XV theatre school under Gerard Vleminckx, later attended teacher's college and taught elementary school for a few years. In 1952 she met actor Robert Gadouas, performed with him, and had three children before his death in 1969. She later appeared in plays by Michel Tremblay, Samuel Beckett and Tennessee Williams and in the films Rope Around the Neck (La corde au cou), YUL 871, Laura Laur, Léolo, Cap Tourmente, Route 132, The Last Escape and Don't Let the Angels Fall. In 1985, Andrée Lachapelle was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. In 1997, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. On November 21, 2019, Lachapelle died via assisted suicide at the age of 88 following a battle with cancer. She posthumously won the Prix Iris for Best Actress at the 22nd Quebec Cinema Awards, for her final performance in the film And the Birds Rained Down (Il pleuvait des oiseaux).
