What They Said ... MANNERS of DYING

What they said ... MANNERS OF DYING Directed by Jeremy Peter Allen High-caliber performances…Houde brings distinction to his variations on Parlington, an official who has begun to doubt his capacities. - Richard Kuipers, Variety Played with effective, Harold Pinter-like gravitas by Serge Houde. - David Gilmour, The Globe and Mail The acting of Roy Dupuis and Serge Houde is exceptional. The whole movie is those two. - Yann Martel (Author: Life of Pi) with Jeanette Kelly, CBC Arts Report Serge Houde is staggering. We are witness to an amazing duel between actors, which by its very strength, reminds us of the duo Sean Penn - Susan Sarandon in Dead Man Walking. - Marie-Christine Blais, La Presse Serge Houde dominates. At last, a starring role for Serge Houde…remarkable, flawless and extremely nuanced as a Prison Director tormented by his Professional Ethics. - Denis Cote, ICI Chances are Serge Houde will be attracting a lot of attention. - Michel Desautels, Sans frontieres, Radio-Canada (French CBC) He is good. He is solid. And he has to act, not with the flamboyance that Roy Dupuis can allow himself, but he has to act with restraint. - Bernard Michaud with Marie-France Bazzo, Indicatif Present, Radio-Canada Serge Houde is quite simply fascinating. One of the best Quebec Films in recent years. - Georges Privet, …Ecran Libre, Tele-Quebec Serge Houde’s astonishing portrayal as the Prison Director is outstanding. - Michel Therrien, Le Journal De Montreal But especially the Prison Director, skillfully portrayed by Serge Houde. The Director is the Ariadne's Thread connecting the various sections of the film. Imperceptibly, from one segment to the other, Serge Houde’s character, initially a prisoner to the execution procedure, gradually manifests his humanity and his revolt against his role as the States’ Agent-of-Death. Faced with Roy Dupuis’ flamboyant interpretations, Houde counters with the subtle use of nuance. - Odile Tremblay, Le Droit Serge Houde was the film’s revelation… He’s an actor who has an exceptional capacity for doing small things. He’s Roy’s counterpoint. He must remain cold and stoic, but at the same time, we have to sense the cracks and twitches. He was fantastic at conveying the idea that even though he was holding himself back, that things were boiling inside. - Jeremy Peter Allen in interview with Gilles Carignan, Le Soleil A formidable presence! He was particularly good; he’s able to maintain an unshakeable presence, all the while always remaining just on the edge of breaking. We sense that within the Director there is a man who is truly tormented. - Rene Homier-Roy, C’est Bien Meilleur Le Matin, CBC Radio-Canada A remarkable performance. He’s an actor of disquieting authority; but with such charisma and screen presence... It was high time he was given a staring role. - Marie-Christine Trottier in interview with Michel Desaultel, CBC Radio-Canada Harry Parlington (played with unnerving perfection by Serge Houde)... - Sarah Rowland, Mirror A magnificent Parlington. Faced with his character’s dilemma, the actor proves to be very talented at making us feel his innermost turmoil without anything ever showing on the surface. Dupuis and Houde engage in an astonishing duel, all very nuanced and extremely moving. - Gilles Carignan, Le Soleil MANNERS OF DYING proves to be a powerful verbal and psychological sparring match between Barlow and Parlington, a man more torn between his duty and his principles than it would seem. Playing the Director is Serge Houde (Pierre Laporte in Pierre Falardeau’s OCTOBRE), whose acting strength is mesmerizing. The intransigence of his character reinforces his contradictions when faced with the absurdity of the macabre staging surrounding the Execution. His anguish touches us, prompting a humanitarian reflection on the ethics of the Death Penalty. - Stephanie Bois-Houde, Le Clap The performances by the two actors in this film, Roy Dupuis and Serge Houde, are extraordinary. - Marie-Louise Arsenault, …Ecran Libre, Tele-Quebec “There is a dramatic progression that we observe through the character of the Prison Director. And it’s because of him, that the cracks in the Execution Procedure are revealed.” The Prison Director, Harry Parlington (skillfully played by Serge Houde) must oversee Kevin Barlow’s Execution. Playing characters at opposite ends of the spectrum, the two actors engage in a forceful duel. - Jeremy Peter Allen in interview with Manon Dumais, Voir A great moment in Cinema… two actors giving everything they have for the joy of acting, magnificently it must be said, incredible roles that few could have performed as flawlessly, subtly or credibly. The challenge was substantial; the finished product, sublime. - Martin Page, Freelance Film Critic .

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