153 minutes, Drama
Langauge: French
Release date: October 26, 2012
DVD release date: November 27, 2012
Canadian distributor: Remstar

Enfant, François vit seul avec sa mère Claudine sur une ferme reculée. Le labeur quotidien est exigeant, mais l’étude des lettres, menée par Claudine, l’est encore plus. C’est que François est destiné à devenir prêtre. Après des années de collège, il décide cependant de s’opposer à sa mère, qui le frappe à la tête. Dorénavant, François sera sourd, il n’entendra plus que le bruit du torrent. Après la mort de sa mère, François s’aventure sur la route, où il croise des vagabonds. Il achète Amica, une jeune femme, et l’accueille chez lui.

Based on a short story by renowned Québec writer Anne Hébert, Le Torrent is set in 1922 in rural Québec. François, a young boy, lives alone with his mother Claudine on a remote farm. The daily chores are demanding, but his studies, led by his mother’s wish that he become a priest are even more demanding. After years of college he decides the priesthood is not for him. His mother attacks him, hitting him so severely in the head that he becomes deaf. He can hear nothing but the roar of a nearby waterfall, the titled torrent. After his mother dies, François ventures out onto the road, where he meets some travellers. He buys Amica, a young woman, and welcomes her into his home, into his life.