Rob Munday
Sport can be a challenging passion to maintain. Whether the team you support is constantly letting you down or the game itself is frequently tainted by scandals, loving a sport can be a true test of loyalty. For director Philippe Berthelet, it was the latter. When amateur ice hockey – a sport he says has saved his life “countless times” – in Canada became mired in a sexual assault scandal, he was forced to confront a difficult dilemma: his devotion to the sport or his moral integrity. This inner conflict is poignantly depicted in his emotive short film, ACCROCHE TES PATINS! (SKATE!).
In the first 30 seconds of the film, Berthelet outlines the issues in his sport through a series of informative title cards. He then introduces a personal angle with photos of the short’s participants engaged in the game. Following this compelling exposition, the remainder of SKATE! features footage of ice hockey – shot in both digital and 16mm – accompanied by audio interviews of individuals discussing their conflicts with the sport, as well as soundtracks recorded in the rink. While this approach may not be particularly innovative, it’s undeniably effective.
“I’ve come to realize that behind this magnificent sport lies a culture that is rotten and in deep need of renewal.”
Discussing his motivation for making the short, Berthelet explains that he never felt like he “didn’t belong on the ice”. However, as he grew older, he realized that behind the sport he loves “lies a culture that is rotten and in deep need of renewal.” Determined to bring this realisation to the screen, the director focused on the spaces where he played hockey and the people who shared his passion.
Revealing that his desire to explore his conflicting emotions toward ice hockey in a film stemmed from the notion that “a director should be a master of whatever subject they’re covering”, Berthelet admits that addressing this subject “felt extremely natural”. Wanting to show both the aspects he loves about the game and its “deepest, most problematic issues”, the film balances inviting nostalgia with a sobering reality. By immersing us in Berthelet’s personal perspective, SKATE! invites us to confront a specific yet widely relatable dilemma.
“There needed to be a clear visual difference and fracture between these two kinds of spaces where hockey is played, because I always felt that there was a deep difference in culture between them.” – director Berthelet
These contrasting reflections of the game are also captured in the short’s cinematography, where Berthelet and his director of photography, Nicholas Tadros, used a mix of digital and film to emphasise this juxtaposition. Shooting over the course of a week, with a small crew, they spent half their time at Berthelet’s local indoor rink, Arena Ahuntsic, and the other half at outdoor rinks across Montreal. For the indoor scenes, they chose digital as it allowed “more freedom”, while for the outdoor shoots, they switched to 16mm film to “evoke nostalgia and playfulness”.
As mentioned earlier, this filming approach isn’t particularly novel, but it effectively immerses the audience in Berthelet’s perspective. The 16mm footage evokes a sense of nostalgia and intimacy, while the digital shots provide a colder, broader view of the sport. Berthelet finds himself in a difficult predicament due to the actions of Hockey Canada. Although his short film doesn’t explicitly reveal his future involvement with the sport, it underscores how many have been compelled to abandon their passion for the sake of their principles. Whether you share Berthelet’s love of ice hockey or not, this is a sentiment that many can relate to.