The Mother Eagle (2021)

• 67%
• 2021
• Documentary
• Drama
• History
• Denis Boivin
• Karen Elkin
• Sr Suzanne Pineau
• Perrine Gruson

Following the announcement of their departure, the dean of the Ursulines (Marie-Ginette Guay, an actress from Quebec) prays for help to Marie of the Incarnation in the oratory, where her tomb lies. Her prayers are heard and Mary of the Incarnation (Karen Elkin) emerges from the statue crowning the tomb. The camera follows this wraith through the building's corridors. The spectrum becomes increasingly tangible until it stops in front of a large mirror in the main entrance - And she sees herself, just like us, for the very first time. An Ursuline nun comes in from outside. Our Marie takes the opportunity to slip out while her image is imbued in the mirror. (The mise en abyme is the film's main premise. Questions will always be aroused whenever our Marie sees herself.) Outside, the Nouvelle-France celebrations are at their peak, thrusting Quebec's activities forwards. In the context of these events, our Marie is taken for an actress who is playing Marie of the Incarnation. Later on, she meets the nuns and is able to understand what they are experiencing. As she hears their stories about how the mission was founded, she has a series of flashbacks, taking her to our country's origins. Having taught in First Nation languages, she is also interested in their descendants, taking every opportunity to go out and meet them. This last part of the story also allows us to discover the First Nations' everyday life, both how it was in the past and is now. At the end of the film, Marie returns to be with the Ursulines and supports them, helping them leave their convent and start a new life, together with all those who have been brought up in the school she founded.