Summer Crisis

In the summer of 1969, Bernard Lortie, 19, a Gaspé fisherman’s son, arrives in Percé to find work. He meets Paul, Jacques and Francis, Quebec separatist activists who have come to open the “Fisherman’s House”. They aim to offer lodgings to young travellers and politicize them during their stay. A motley crowd of Quebecers from all over the province soon flock to Percé, artists, hippies, rockers, hitchhikers and their ilk, shaking up the municipal council and many merchants. André Duguay, who operates a local camping site, is especially upset. The group's request for a food license is rejected but they decide to defy the authorities. Won over by the trio's ideas, Bernard gets increasingly involved in their project, even participating in the occupation of a local radio station to defend Gaspé fishermen. Relations between the activists and local authorities degenerate and the "Fisherman's House" is attacked by the town's fire truck. Bernard and his new friends return to Montreal where, the following year, they join the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) and play a pivotal role in the October Crisis. (Extract from Montreal Film Festival)