Triptych is a contemporary urban saga that tells the story of Michelle, a schizophrenic bookseller, her sister, Marie, a singer and actress, and Marie’s future husband, Thomas, a German neurosurgeon. Against a backdrop of written and visual poetry, the film depicts three pivotal moments in the lives of these characters while touching on an array of subjects—artistic expression, social engagement versus solitude, the many nuances of emotion. In this study of human communication in all its forms and complexity, these three lives intersect in their quests for personal identity and a burning desire for self-expression. Directed by Robert Lepage and …
Triptych is a contemporary urban saga that tells the story of Michelle, a schizophrenic bookseller, her sister, Marie, a singer and actress, and Marie’s future husband, Thomas, a German neurosurgeon. Against a backdrop of written and visual poetry, the film depicts three pivotal moments in the lives of these characters while touching on an array of subjects—artistic expression, social engagement versus solitude, the many nuances of emotion. In this study of human communication in all its forms and complexity, these three lives intersect in their quests for personal identity and a burning desire for self-expression. Directed by Robert Lepage and Pedro Pires, this film adaptation of Lepage’s epic, nine-hour play Lipsynch captures the essence of the original work, which deals with the human voice.
This film provides a good opportunity to work with your students on dramatic structure and character development. In Triptych, all the characters must take on major challenges if they want to change their lives for the better. How do they react? What other choices could they have made and how might these have altered the course of events? Do your students also have stories they wish to rewrite?