July 7, 2025
LXXXIX — Vincent René-Lortie
Vincent René-Lortie is a Montreal film director and screenwriter known for his grounded, dreamlike narratives.

Below are Vincent’s SELECTS:

Film
Days of Heaven by Terrence Malick
1978

There’s something about how this film uses time, how it waits. The light, the sound, the silence between moments… everything feels carefully held. I’ve always been fascinated by the fact that they only shot during the golden hours, mornings and evenings, to capture that perfect light. There’s a kind of devotion to cinema here that’s unlike anything else I’ve seen.

Film Series
The Before Trilogy by Richard Linklater

I revisit these films almost every year, and every time, they teach me something new about connection, what it means to really listen, and the limits we place on ourselves in relationships. There’s nothing showy about them. They just let two people exist together, and that’s enough.

Film
A Prophet by Jacques Audiard
2009

Tahar’s performance is one of the most magical and honest I’ve ever watched. In the way it unfolded, through the writing, the rhythm, and the imagery, it stays quiet, yet every moment lands with real weight. That kind of subtlety really inspired the way I approached ‘Invincible’.

Film
C.R.A.Z.Y. by Jean-Marc Vallée
2005

If you were born in Quebec, it’s hard not to have been shaped by this film. It left a mark on an entire generation, and still resonates today. ‘C.R.A.Z.Y.’ captures the struggle of growing up in a world that doesn’t leave much room for difference. It’s a story of resisting expectations, of learning to step off the path that was laid out for you, and slowly finding the courage to walk your own.

Film
The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino
2013

Rome in all its beauty. Sumptuous. Melancholic. Theatrical.

Film
Birdman by Alejandro González Iñárritu
2014

That fear of being stuck in a version of yourself you never chose… Behind all the chaos Birdman throws at you, something tender and deeply vulnerable cuts through, carried by a strange kind of magic that never really left me.

Film
Amour by Michael Haneke
2012

‘Amour’ does what most films avoid. It looks at the moments when love isn’t about the future anymore but about staying, about care, about presence. In its stillness and refusal to turn away, there’s a kind of grace that reminds me how powerful cinema can be when it strips everything down to the essential.

Film
Aftersun by Charlotte Wells
2022

I remember exactly when I saw ‘Aftersun’ for the first time. It brought up this quiet kind of ache, like remembering time with someone you love, while realizing you might never have fully seen them. It’s a film that lingers in ways you don’t expect.

Film
Past Lives by Celine Song
2023

My favorite film of 2023. It hit me in a quiet, unexpected way. I loved how it finds strength in simplicity, in the way it frames moments, holds space, and just observes. It’s a film that trusts you to feel rather than be told.