Ionescu Mărgărint Sabina

A License to Remember: Je me souviens (2002)

The French phrase “Je me souviens” makes the director of this film, Thierry Le Brun, set off
across Quebec to find out its meaning. This motto is inscribed on Quebec driving license plates and is
a common sight for the people living there. The various and contradictory answers that the director
receives uncover the complexity of Quebec. We see throughout the film that a simple question like
What do I remember? does not generate an easy, uniform, and definitive answer. At the end we
understand that the goal of the film was to capture the complexity of what it means to be Québécois.
The speakers have different opinions about what is there to be remembered and about who is the “Je”.
Although they seem to disagree, we get to know that no one is wrong because of Quebec’s
multicultural society and history. Due to its use of the multiple points of view, this film could have
applications in many fields, e.g. English, French, Sociology, History or Politics. We also caught a
glimpse of some French rap performers, a great idea that would appeal to a younger audience.