Polytechnique (2009): Cast & Plot
Polytechnique is a 2009 drama thriller directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Karine Vanasse as Valérie, Evelyne Brochu and Maxim Gaudette. It runs 1 hour 17 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 17m (77 min)
- Director
- Denis Villeneuve
- Original language
-
French - Studio
- Don Carmody Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Polytechnique About?
The premise of Polytechnique without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A dramatization of the Montreal Massacre of 1989 where several female engineering students were murdered by an unstable misogynist.
Polytechnique Themes & Keywords
· 21 tags- mass shooting
- misogynist
- year 1989
- montreal quebec canada
- school violence
- misogyny
- 1980s
- violence
- docudrama drama
- tragedy drama
- 20th century
- period drama
+9 more Show fewer
- gunman
- black and white
- in medias res
- insanity
- shot to death
- murder suicide
- suicide by gunshot
- mass murder
- engineering school
Polytechnique Cast & Characters
Karine Vanasse leads the cast as Valérie, with Evelyne Brochu as Stéphanie and Maxim Gaudette as The Assassin. Directed by Denis Villeneuve; 48 actors are credited in all.
-
Director Denis Villeneuve
- Karine Vanasse as Valérie
- Evelyne Brochu as Stéphanie
- Maxim Gaudette as The Assassin
- Sébastien Huberdeau as Jean-François
Also Starring in Polytechnique
· 44 more- Ève Duranceau Student with the Ear Injury
- Johanne-Marie Tremblay Jean-François' Mother
- Dawn Ford Valérie's Mother
- Sophie Desmarais Female Student - 3rd Floor Corridor
- Alexis Lefebvre Male Student in First Classroom
- Pierre Leblanc Mr. Martineau
- Pierre-Yves Cardinal Éric
- Eugénie Beaudry Female Student at Blackboard
- Larissa Corriveau Killer's Neighboor
- Marc Gourdeau Engineer #2
- Louise Proulx Secretary in Waiting Room
- Robert Reynaert Teacher in First Classroom
- Jonathan Dubsky Distracted Student
- Cynthia Wu-Maheux Female Student in First Classroom
- Francesca Barcenas Injured Student at Copier
- Valérie Cadieux Female Student in First Classroom
Show all 48 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Nathalie Girard Injured Student
- Natalie Hamel-Roy Jean-François' Mother (voice)
- Martin Watier Jean-François (voice)
- Marc-André Brisebois Student in the Stairs
- Stéphane Julien Student in the Escalator
- Alexandre St-Martin Male Student in First Classroom
- Mireille Brullemans Admission Office's Secretary
- Emmanuelle Girard Student Behind Speakers
- Pier-Olivier Paquet Student at the Admission Office
- Marie-Évelyne Baribeau Female Student in First Classroom
- Mathieu Ledoux Injured Student
- Cathy Labrecque Female Student in First Classroom
- Anne Trudel Student Behind Speakers
- Josée Lacombe Female Student in First Classroom
- Valérie Charland Female Student in First Classroom
- Nir Assayag Male Student in First Classroom
- Lily Thibeault Female Student at the Copy Room
- Pierre-Xavier Martel Security Guard
- François-Xavier Dufour Student in 3rd Floor Corridor
- Eve Gadouas Female Student in First Classroom
- Marc Francoeur Valérie's Father
- Denis Lehoux-Faucher Engineer #1
- Adam Kosh Killer's Roommate
- Manon Lapointe Killer's Mother
- Kim Lavack-Paquin Student at the Library
- Antoine Touchette Male Student in Common Room
- Julien Maranda Male Student in First Classroom
- Chantale Bilodeau Physiotherapist
Polytechnique Plot Summary
What happens in Polytechnique from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 10 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Valérie, Karine Vanasse, and Stéphanie, Evelyne Brochu, are engineering students at Polytechnique Montreal who find themselves caught in a sudden, devastating attack. A troubled young man, Maxim Gaudette, arrives with a Ruger Mini-14, leaves a message for his mother, and enters a classroom in the middle of a lecture. He orders the men to leave and the women to stay, then fires a shot into the ceiling to prove he is serious. He declares his hatred of feminists, and although the women deny being feminists, he shoots at them, killing some and wounding others. He moves through the building—along the halls and into the cafeteria—before continuing to target women in his path.
Full summary
The whole story of Polytechnique, scene by scene
Polytechnique Trailers & Videos
3 videos: 1 trailer, 1 clip and 1 featurette.
- Clip Clip
- Featurette Depicting violence and its aftermath
How Well Do You Know Polytechnique?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What are Valérie and Stéphanie studying at Polytechnique Montréal?
Cars in Polytechnique
8 cars on screen, including the 1986 Ford Escort and the 1987 Dodge Colt.
-
1986 Ford Escort Main role -
1987 Dodge Colt Important role -
1995 Chevrolet Corsica Minor role -
1991 Toyota Tercel Minor role
Seen Polytechnique?
Movies Like Polytechnique
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Night School, Crime Scenes and A Woman Kills.
Polytechnique FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, post-credit scenes and language of Polytechnique, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Polytechnique?
Polytechnique runs 1 hour 17 minutes (77 minutes).
When was Polytechnique released?
Polytechnique was released on February 6, 2009.
Who directed Polytechnique?
Polytechnique was directed by Denis Villeneuve.
More films by Denis Villeneuve Who is in the cast of Polytechnique?
Polytechnique stars Karine Vanasse as Valérie, Evelyne Brochu as Stéphanie and Maxim Gaudette as The Assassin, among 48 credited actors.
Does Polytechnique have a post-credit scene?
No. Polytechnique has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Polytechnique in?
The original language of Polytechnique is French.
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