Educational Media Reviews Online

Winner of the La Vague Award for Best Feature Film in 2019, this highly entertaining feature-length documentary sheds light on the French immersion program for immigrants at the William-Hingston Centre in Parc-Extension, Quebec, Canada. At the heart of the film is the tough-love and teaching techniques of Madame Fulvie Loiseau, a Haitian immigrant, and how she inspires international students to learn French through texts about love.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations , “…with its comparatively open and well-regulated immigration system, Canada has become a top destination for immigrants and refugees. Canada welcomes immigrants and values multiculturalism.”

With advertising like that, it's little wonder that Mme Loiseau students are a melting pot of diverse cultures and ethnicities from Africa, Asia, Mexico, and the Middle East. Repetitive reasons why most immigrants flee their country are due to gender inequality, political unrest, and violence against the LGBTQA+ community. The immersion program offers numerous opportunities beyond learning a new language. Those opportunities can include incentivizing students to feel confident to live in a foreign land, equipping students with the tools necessary to fill out resumes, housing, and job applications, and preparing students with life-long survival skills to shop and use public transportation. The program also affords women, who are otherwise forbidden to attend school due to gender, an opportunity for an education.

Conversely, it is only natural for migrant students to want to preserve their self-identity and culture while seeking a better life thousands of miles away from loved ones. Concerns about those left behind to dwell in inhumane conditions and/or exist within lawless governments weighs heavily in their thoughts. It is unclear how long students are enrolled in the program prior to filming, but the majority are enthusiastic to learn the language and are fluent in French by graduation.

As part of graduation ceremonies, students display posters about their home countries, read and sing about French love poems and stories, and take a guided boat tour on the Saint Lawrence River. Overall, this is a feel-good film. In French with English closed captions.

This film serves as an excellent resource to discuss immigration studies. It offers a slice of what it takes to assimilate in a foreign country. Highly recommended for all libraries.

Awards:
La Vague Award for Best Feature Film in 2019; Official Selection at 37th Vues d'Afrique Festival

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