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GROWING TOGETHER OR APART?... French in schools in Québec. They believe in choice (“la scelta”), having come to Canada from a country with a fascist past. These parents are vocally opposed to Québec’s linguistic law, although they are forced to comply with the system. Guerina recounts her resistance to them on this point during a time of adolescent self-assertion and rebellion. Her parents, for their part, have managed to learn very functional French, but their relationship with their daughter is endangered by their staunchly maintained and frequently vocalized belief in the need to remain loyal to the Italian language and cultural heritage and their wish to see their grandchildren learn good English. The tension between daughter and parents translates as an argument for moderation on both sides, where Guerina might learn (or be allowed to) embrace her Italianness as well as her Québec identity, and where the parents might be encouraged to see themselves as Québécois as well as Italian. Like Aloisio’s film, Godbout’s film also questions what it is to be Québécois, and whether it is indeed necessary to feel that one fits that label, in order to live successfully in Québec. (In Aloisio’s film, Courtney feels that the label of Québécois is slightly ill-fitting, yet his far-reaching social work and passionate feelings of belonging to Montreal make it clear that he is a very positive part of Québec society). To Akos, Farouk, and Ruba, as with Guerina in Aloisio’s film, the Québécois label seems important, whether this involves solidarity with Québec’s wish to retain its culture, or, as in Ruba’s case, a concern to help others achieve the freedoms and prosperity they have acquired. For Daniel, however, being Québécois is of less importance, as he has a stronger belief in the importance of being a citizen of the world. The question of Québécois values is raised several times in both films. In Aloisio’s film, Guerina tells her parents that she (unlike them) understands the values of Québec. Her mother nearly chokes in anger on hearing this, assuming that by this she means she has rejected Italian values. In Godbout’s film the question of “values” is first discussed via Ruba’s emphasis on the value laid in Québec on freedoms for women. Later, the notion of values becomes more complex. In one of the classes d'accueil, a boy states his attachment to his authoritarian family culture, specifically citing obedience to his father as a “value” to which he adheres, partly because it helps him work hard at school. In the same class, a Black girl says that while she has a lot of respect for “their culture” (“leur culture”, by which she means Québécois culture), in her family it is just not possible to feel integrated (“ce n’est pas une question de vouloir” [It's not a case of not wanting to]). In any case, it was not her choice to come to Québec, but that of her parents, she states. It is admirable that these students have a space in the class to voice their opinions, and that others have the right of response. The above comments stem from a key sequence in the film where a group of about 20 sixteen—seventeen-year olds participate in a philosophy and ethics class led by Québécoise teacher Sylvie Tardif. The class is split by the question s 181 *
