Quand un film historique controverse devient une opportunite pour problematiser la nation canadienne

This content analysis looks at public commentaries, including young adolescents, about the reception of a controversial historical film by director Pierre Falardeau: 15 fevrier 1839 (Payeur et Falardeau, 2001). The film deals with the hanging of Patriots in Montreal and seems to exacerbate feelings of opposition between francophones and anglophones. The study illustrates that beyond the apparent bias of the director, reactions to films seem rather dictated by the historical consciousness of the public as well as the construction of collective identities linked to their views of nation and race. I discuss the potential of a controversial film on problematizing the nation and on the possibility of fostering critical discussion beyond common places. Didactical implications about the use of historical film are presented for classroom integration.