Directed by Philippe Lesage | 118 mins | 2015
Philippe Lesage’s fifth feature also marks his narrative debut, begetting an uncommon blend of atmosphere and storytelling. When a group of young boys are kidnapped in his suburban Montreal town, Felix, a fear-riddled 10-year-old, finds his wild imagination bumping against reality. Lesage captures Felix’s time between home and school with incredible detail—rarely are the inner and outer lives of a child elucidated with this much honesty or minutia. Never one to be prescriptive, however, Lesage laces "The Demons" with a flawless ear for needledrops and characteristically expressive colors. His interest in people and place is contagious, an effect well-met by the stealth-sequeling of "Genesis".