Ghost Town Anthology (French: Répertoire des villes disparues) is a 2019 French-language Canadian supernatural drama film written and directed by Denis Côté. Based on Laurence Olivier’s short novel of the same name, it follows a small Quebec village unsettled by a teenager’s death and strange apparitions. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was selected for the Competition section and was a Golden Bear contender.
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Synopsis
Set in the small Quebec village of Irénée-les-Neiges, the film centres on a community after local teenager Simon Dubé dies in a car accident. As Simon’s family and the wider town are shaken by his death, residents begin to notice strange figures around the village.
Cast
The cast includes:
Robert Naylor as Jimmy Dubé
Josée Deschênes as Gisèle Dubé
Jean-Michel Anctil as Romuald Dubé
Larissa Corriveau as Adèle
Diane Lavallée as Simone Smallwood
Rémi Goulet as André
Jocelyne Zucco as Louise
Normand Carrière as Richard
Hubert Proulx as Pierre
Rachel Graton as Camille
Production
The film was produced by Couzin Films. It was Côté's first adaptation of a literary work, based on Laurence Olivier’s short novel of the same name. Filming took place over 26 days in February and March 2018 in Montérégie. The film had an approximate budget of C$2.1 million.
Festival screenings
The film had its world premiere on 11 February 2019 at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was selected for the Competition section and was a Golden Bear contender.
Reception
Critical response
Jay Weissberg of Variety described Ghost Town Anthology as an intimate and unsettling film that “approaches narrative elliptically”. He wrote that Côté was less interested in resolving the film’s mysteries than in following the emotional effect of the questions they raise.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a “low-key mood piece” with enough ambiguity to hold interest, but found it “too subdued for genre fans” and “too psychologically thin” for more art-film-oriented audiences.
Geoff Andrew of Sight and Sound described the film as “a genuinely intriguing and for the most part rewarding study” of how an unexpected death affects a small, inward-looking rural community. He wrote that Côté does not take the story in the direction of a horror movie, instead focusing on how people cope with mortality, loss, and the possibility that the dead do not entirely disappear.
Wendy Ide of The Guardian described it as an “elegantly unnerving drama” in which supernatural visitations unsettle an insular rural community. She wrote that the film’s themes included hostility toward strangers and territorialism, while its deeper mystery remained unresolved.