While Gina is a solid entry in the 70's film canon of chicks who get brutal revenge on men who rape them, it is also quintessentially Canadian (or, more accurately, Quebecois). All of the classic elements are there - the slow pacing which builds to the explosive last act, the electric guitar title music, the star getting naked, the gang-rape, the muscle car chase, the bloody finale...except in this case the setting is a town in Quebec in the middle of winter, the gang rides snowmobiles instead of motorcycles - and there is a film crew attempting to make a documentary expose on the local exploitive textile mill. Gina has a great socio-realist feel, AND a roaring purple Plymouth 383 Roadrunner. Yes!

Gathering up titles to view for an upcoming poll on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best movies of 1975,I spotted a gritty French- Canadian film which I had picked up a few years ago,but had somehow never got round to watching.With there only being a few days left for the poll to run,I decided that it was about time that I finally met Gina.

The plot:

Suspecting that the local tile factory is being controlled by mobsters,a film crew decide to do a documentary which will expose the dominance that the factory has on the towns job market.Filming interviews outside the factory,the crews cameras catch the attention of the police,who begin doing everything they can to stop the production from being seen.As the crew try in desperation to complete their film,a local stripper called Gina finds herself getting a lot of attention from a new bunch of gangsters that have recently arrived in town.Telling the gangsters in no uncertain terms that she is uninterested in them,Gina is followed to her flat,where she is brutally raped.Whilst the gangsters walk around town feeling like they have shown Gina whose in charge,Gina & a local gang of close-friend mobsters begin to plot their revenge.

View on the film:

Filmed on location,Oscar-nominated editor/ director Denys Arcand and co- writer/ (along with Jacques Poulin) cinematographer Alain Dostie give the title a strikingly raw moc-documentary appearance,with Arcand skilfully editing the film crews raw B&W footage into Gina's (played by a terrific,very pretty Céline Lomez) overlapping story,which slowly unleashes an atmosphere of deep dread,as Gina and the film crew both discover how deep the town has sunk into the dirt.Introducing a Rape-Revenge element in the final 30 minutes,Arcand shows incredible restrain in not using the scene in an exploited manner,but instead focusing on Gina's face,which shows the horrifying effect that the rape is having on her.

Partly inspired by Arcand experience filming the documentary On est au coton (which was banned from being seen for 6 years!) the first hour of the screenplay paints an intimate portrait of the town,with the world weary attitude of the documentary crews interviewers being complimented by the dry,matter of fact manner that Gina talks to the gangsters in.With the sudden arrival of Gina's rape,the writers disappointingly appear uncertain in how to link this sudden plot twist to the mood which they have been delicately building,which leads to the whole revenge battles feeling extremely ill-fitting for what appeared to be a warm meeting with Gina.

What I like about this movie? First, the director goes to great length to make us care for the characters. Character development is excellent. The setting is good too. A small town in Québec, ruled by snowmobiles and beer drinking locals at the tavern. I like the documentary style used by Denys Arcand. Great way to show the exploitation of the people working in the textile industry. And great way to show the exploitation of the people, period. As the movie progress, we see that exploitation can take different forms. Gina is not too different from Dolorès, or from the four guys making a film, or from the hotel owner's wife for that matter. I also like the setting just before the gang-rape scene. When Gina is in her room and we hear the snowmobiles arriving. You can just feel the tension.

What I didn't liked about the movie? As for other Québec films, some scenes takes forever. I mean, do we really have to see an entire game of pool? Denys Arcand could have probably do this movie in 80-85 minutes, without missing anything.

Out of 100, I give it 84. That's good for *** out of ****. Seen at home, in Toronto, on December 17th, 2002.