Description

Cryptozoology is a science defined as “The search for animals that fall outside of taxonomic records due to a lack of empirical evidence, but for which anecdotal evidence exists in the form of myths, legends, or undocumented sightings.” While it’s regarded with suspicion by the mainstream scientific community, this discipline nonetheless boasts followers the world over. Presented back to back, Jay Delaney’s NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE and Nicolas Renaud’s LA BÊTE DU LAC offer complementary glances into this fascinating phenomenon. Rather than pursue yet another pointless monster hunt, the two filmmakers direct their cameras instead at the ordinary folks who, regardless of their rational character, are convinced they’ve seen the impossible.

Ancient First Nations legends claim that Lake Pohenegamook in Quebec is home to a mysterious, gigantic fish. Numerous inhabitants of the region of Témiscouata claim to this day to have seen this creature with their own eyes. Through interviews with various witnesses and also a hardened skeptic, and by returning to the source of the myth, Nicolas Renaud explores the universal human fascination with monsters. At once a paranormal investigation and a reflection on the collective imagination, LA BÊTE DU LAC captivates with the poetry of local storytellers and mesmerizing underwater imagery.

—Simon Laperrière (translated by Rupert Bottenberg)