Truffe

Acting as a low budget and slightly less pretentious The Matrix — at least from a philosophical perspective — with a distinctively French-Canadian quirkiness, Truffe proves to be one of the more entertaining indictments of corporate psychosis and blind conformity out there. Much of this comes from its distinguishable aesthetic sense, as the film is shot entirely in black and white and is framed with comic book precision, along with its tendency to show rather than tell, which is refreshing given the loads of pedagogy being served. Quite truthfully, there is a great deal of ingenuity in linking consumer culture with evil fur collar fallacies controlled by soul sucking robots whose main objective is to control everything and exploit all for minimal costs. It seems obvious after the fact, at least the robot part, but sums up the absurdity of the Western dream quite well. This allegory comes care of an increasing number of black truffles in Montreal, care of global warming. As truffles are worth a pretty penny, the Fur Collar Corporation is rather perturbed when Charles (Roy Dupuis) and Alice (Celine Bonnier), two self-employed diner owners, are able to sustain a living from them. Through some calculated chicanery, Mme Kinsdale (Michele Richard) is able to manipulate Charles into working for her truffle division, essentially sucking the life from him and every other employee while destroying any potential competition. The obvious body snatcher references are not lost on Truffe but aren't exploited either, as the film creates a reality of its own. Included with the DVD is the director's cut of the film, which is 20 minutes shorter than the theatrical version, having a brisker pace. Unfortunately this version is available in French only. Also available is the music video for "I Put a Spell On You," along with a trailer.