French Immersion (2011)

In the heart of Quebec, the quaint town of St-Isadore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus finds itself teetering on the brink of oblivion after the closure of its main economic plant. In a spirited act of reinvention, the town transforms itself into a French language school, offering a two-week fully immersive program. The program’s unique twist: students cannot utter a word in English or any non-French language, or they risk being yellow carded. They are billeted with local families, engrossed in traditional Quebecois culture, a culture that views its Anglophone counterparts with a blend of curiosity and animosity. The second class of students is a delightful medley of characters: Bobby Sexton, a gay MP hiding under the alias Bobby Smith, who is preparing to debate his party leadership rival in French; Jonathan Hornstein, a Jewish New York chef trainee with French culinary dreams; Colin MacGonagle, a mild-mannered postal carrier from Red Deer; Aretha Marley, a flight attendant desperate to pass her company's French language test; and Cathy, a firefighter with a secret. As the immersion program unfolds, a flurry of complications ensues. The town’s Anglophone students struggle to navigate both the language and a sea of Tremblay surnames, while host families grapple with their own cultural clashes and personal issues. The town administrators, on the other hand, are wrestling with their own battle—keeping the immersion program afloat amidst stiff competition and complaints from the inaugural class of students. "French Immersion" is a vibrant comedy that thrusts five Anglo-Canadians—four true Anglos and a New Yorker—into the deep end of cultural and linguistic immersion in a fervently nationalist, unilingually French Quebecois town. In this remote Northern Quebec town, where the population is 97% "pure laine," the language of Molière becomes the key to survival, personal growth, and unexpected alliances. As for the remaining 3%, no one is quite sure who or what they are, adding an extra layer of intrigue to this captivating journey of self-discovery and reinvention.

French Immersion is a comedy movie featuring Karine Vanasse.

It is possible to buy French Immersion on Amazon Video.