After having left the cinema tonight, the incredible performances and intelligent contemporary screen adaptation of Antigone (2019) by Sophie Deraspe left me fixated on a few details. Mostly, I was captivated by the way the film depicted resistance and its impact on the lives of those most affected by the encroaching injustice of a system threating deportation.  Also integral to the film was the choice by the director/scriptwriter to depart from the Greek tragedy’s ending, allowing the character of Antigone to live on.

Providing viewers with a variety of important entry points, the film does not shy away from harsh scenes. Reminiscent of the controversial death of Montreal immigrant Fredy Villanueva, after being shot by police, the tragic event was used as an inspiration for the opening scenes. The artful way in which animation, online memes and social media is used to provide a contemporary spin on the Greek chorus is not only crafty, it provides those remembering Villanueva with a tribute to his life, and pays homage to his community’s uprising against a system that has been at odds with the Montreal North community for decades. The true story of this 18 year old’s shooting took a turn when Fredy’s brother was later threatened with deportation, leaving Montrealers questioning a system that seemed undefeatable for these young men.

In an interview with the Gazette, Deraspe says that provoking thought around the plight of immigrant life in Quebec is exactly what this film is about. She also adds: “If she [Antigone] was their sister, what would she do for her brother, at least for the one that is left?” In Sophocles’s tragedy, Antigone defies the King’s orders and buries her brother. Seen as a traiter, a cruel death sentence is bestowed upon her, but she chooses to kill herself before that can happen.

This is where my mind still spins. Sophie Deraspe has decided to lead us to believe her Antigone will do the same. Beautiful shots of a young woman having sex with her boyfriend and unwavering supporter Haemon in a flower field gives the impression that she is on a mission to experience this one pleasure before committing the act we all know is coming. But what we know about this story is not to be trusted. 

Throughout the film, characters involve themselves in various acts of resistance. Her loyality to her family and unexpected act of sacrifice and love despite her brother’s clear association with a gang is surprising to all, and inspiring to most. A powerful scene in a courtroom involves her class-mates attending the trial and simultaneously using the same ring tone on their phones to force the court to recess. This ring is heard in various instances throughout the film, and becomes a symbol of solidarity and resistance to this system that attempts to suppress her. Other examples of this resistance take the familiar form of the red square, making homage to the student strikes of 2012 in Montreal. Grafitti with Antigone’s words of love stenciled in red on underpasses and school walls become visual extensions of a community seeking change. Could it be that Deraspe is contemplating the power of nonviolence in the face of systems of injustice? Main actress Ricci seems to think this is the case: “Antigone stood up against a law she found unjust. In the world today, there are thousands of contexts where we can position ourselves in this way.” (Montreal Gazette)

As the film finds its conclusion with Antigone escorted by police, behind her brother about to be deported, she hears a sound that makes her turn toward the camera, a ring tone like the one heard in the court room, set off by her classmates. Is this moment depicting the surviving Antigone a dream or a fantasy? Or maybe it is an alternative, brought about by resistance and support from a community brave enough to surround and take risks for this young woman. Is this the leap that the 2000 year old Greek tragedy could not have imagined? It would seem, in the Antigone of contemporary times, collective resistance is not only imaginable, it’s vital.