Every year when we start going through movies, you begin by waiting for that moment.  That moment when you see the first truly great movie of the year.  This year, that moment for me was when I first watched La mémoire des anges, which is unlike any movie I've seen this year.

As it begins, you're not totally sure what it is exactly you're seeing - it's certainly Montreal, but different times, different styles.  But as the film goes on, it begins to wash over you - a sense of nostalgia, and then of wonder, as you begin to recognize where all these different scenes come from.  La mémoire des anges is not only a singualr work and an important re-imagining of Canada's cinematic legacy, it may also be the basis for the most intellectual drinking game ever.  How many of the more than 100 NFB source films can you spot?  What about the scene in the picture (right)? 

Director Luc Bourdon watched more than 1000 films to find these scenes and then arranged them in a way that begs us to reintrpret their meaning, as well as bask in what was some of the finest cinema this country has ever produced.  Through these scenes a portrait of the country's cinematic language is drawn, alongside a transportive landcape of Montreal through the ages.  This is one movie to add to your own memories.