Night Zoo

Fresh out of prison, Marcel wants to rekindle his relationship with his former lover Julie, who now works as a prostitute, but above all with his father Albert (who believes Marcel has been on a long trip abroad). But then he is pursued by two corrupt police officers, one of whom believes Marcel is in possession of drug money... ‘Night Zoo’ is a densely staged, neon-lit modern crime film set in the jungle of Montreal's underworld – a ‘human zoo’ with captive wild animals. Director Jean-Claude Lauzon in an interview: "The family crept in. 'Night Zoo' was supposed to be a really chic film set in the milieu I was involved in at the time – prostitutes, gangsters, people in black leather jackets, with drugs, synthesiser music, you name it, really avant-garde. Then my father died. That changed my whole script. I killed two policemen so I could include my father. I didn't want to, it just happened. I wanted to be a Beineix or a Besson and have lots of beautiful women around me..." (taz.de) Lauzon (1953-1997) studied at a university in Montréal before becoming known for his first feature film, Night Zoo: the film caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival and won two Genie Awards in 1988 (Best Director, Best Screenplay). In 1992, he shot his second feature film, Léolo, but died in a plane crash while filming his third feature film.