The Cinematheque

“Elemental and enigmatic, Levers is a singular work by one of Canada’s visionary talents.”

Andréa Picard, TIFF 2025

What would you do if the sun did not rise for a day? Following her award-winning Ste. Anne, Métis filmmaker Rhayne Vermette is back with her experimental sophomore feature. In 1982 in the Red River Valley of Manitoba, a crowd comes together for the unveiling of a statue, not knowing that a day of total darkness is upon them. In a series of chapters, the lives of the mysterious sculptor, a security guard, and a civil servant are woven together to explore feelings of instability and mortality. Shot on 16mm film using broken Bolex cameras, Levers creates an intimate, dreamlike atmosphere with entrancing sounds, beautiful visuals, and an unsettling storyline that mixes fantasy and reality.

In English and French with English subtitles