Congorama

Harebrained inventor Michel Roy has two months to sell one of his less-than-practical products-the “de-icer” or the “turtle trotter”-or he will lose his laboratory. Making Michel's life more complicated, his paralyzed father just told him, after 40 years of secrecy, that he was adopted from two unidentified Quebecois. Fearing the loss of everything he knows, Michel leaves Belgium (and his Congolese wife Alice and their son Jules) on a mission to Canada, where he will try his luck at a new market and attempt to track down his biological parents. But nothing comes easily for Michel: after a fiasco at Canadian Customs, Michel must sell his product using Styrofoam cups instead of a sample de-icer; and his rumored family name seems to be nonexistent. In CONGORAMA, director Philippe Falardeau takes us on a journey of self-discovery through multiple perspectives. Only when Michel loses focus can he find what he truly seeks. (In French with English subtitles) – E.J.B.