10 ½

A gritty slice of documentary-style social realism, Daniel Grou’s harrowing feature tells the story of Tommy (Robert Naylor), who at age 10 ½ is already considered a hopeless case by Quebec’s youth protection system. When his latest foster mother admits defeat, Tommy is sent to a juvenile detention facility, where care worker Gilles (Claude Legault) detects a glimmer of hope in this boy who can only express himself with violence. But Tommy resists affection as much as authority, and Gilles is pushed to the limit. “We’re immediately reminded of the films of Truffaut — Tommy feels like a distillation of the young Jean-Pierre Léaud’s character in The 400 Blows. …The powerful relationship between Tommy and Gilles, reminiscent of the one between Dr. Itard and the wild child [in Truffaut’s The Wild Child], takes the film to another level. The teacher’s daily struggle verges on a crusade, fired by a near-religious devotion and the conviction that everyone has the ability to readapt to society. Driven by the outstanding performances of Legault and the young Naylor, 10 ½ is a bruising series of storms and lulls from which we emerge exhausted, but with a sense of hope” (Festival de Nouveau Cinéma, Montreal). Nominated for eight Genie Awards, including Best Picture, 10 ½ won top prize at the Mannheim-Heidelberg I.F.F. Colour, 35mm, in French with English subtitles. 116 mins.

Karla Braber, MA is the program coordinator of the Connect Parent Group Program at the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre. For the past eight years she has been responsible for the systemic roll-out of Connect throughout the province of BC along with training and clinical supervision of the leaders of this intervention.

Dr. Marlene M. Moretti, Professor of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, has published widely in the fields of developmental psychopathology and the evaluation of treatment programs and mental health policy. Dr. Moretti leads a multi-site research program on adolescence, gender and aggression and is committed to advancing mental health programs to support youth and their families.

Dr. Chris Booth is Clinical Director at the Maples Adolescent Centre and a clinical instructor in the UBC Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Booth works with youth in residential treatment and has a private practice with a focus on adolescents with gender-related concerns.

Moderated by Dr. Harry Karlinsky, Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia.