Two ex-con lovers attempt to make a go at a normal life together. They settle in a cottage nestled deep in the wilderness of Quebec. They play house with each other and play nice with a parole officer. But despite their best efforts, a life of tranquility isn’t a comfort for them. And at the same time that one partner feels like it’s time to get out, actions from their past are coming back to haunt them. It’s only matter of time before the shaky relationship ends due to struggles or old enemies is a matter of time.

The way that the story of Vic + Flo Saw a Bear reads, it seems familiar, but the way the film plays out is anything but. The expected beats come courtesy of a much different approach than what anyone acquainted with genre conventions will anticipate. An experimental filmmaker by trade, writer/director Denis Côté makes what could have been a standard crime story into something unique.

This difference revolves around two key elements. The first are the two protagonists. Romane Bohringer and Pierrette Robitalle play Florence “Flo” Richemont and Victoria “Vic” Champagne, respectively. We’ve seen ex-cons before, but rarely have we seen queer ex-cons. And even less often do we see portrayals of LGBT people in their 40’s and 60’s, as these characters are. And the eye that Côté casts on them is wholly naturalistic, depicting Vic and Flo’s relationship without a hint of hetero man fetishization. Compare the handling of sexuality in this movie to that of Blue is the Warmest Color, and I think the reservations some viewers had with the latter film become more understandable.

Bohringer and Robitalle make an entrancing duo. Flo spends much of the movie in a state of ambivalence, and Bohringer makes sure that she remains sympathetic even as she drifts away from her beau. Robitalle has had a long career in Quebecois film, but this is her first role to get her major attention. Vic is a rock, taking guff from no man or woman, and Robitalle juggles that no-nonsense demeanor with a gnawing uncertainty about Flo’s loyalty.

The second crucial element is the atmosphere that Côté’s script and approach breathe into the plot. It knows that we know that reformed criminals’ efforts to go straight are almost always doomed to fail in these kinds of stories, and plays to that savviness. From the beginning, the movie is building a quiet sense of dread. The desaturated colors, harsh sound mix, and ambiguous long takes signal that things are off even before dangerous former associates of Flo’s enter the picture. It makes for an oddly sinister relationship drama. But the film also manages to be understatedly funny. In fact, that’s how it starts off, with Vic matter-of-factly telling a busking child that his trumpet playing is terrible.

The movie’s ending combines all of its emotional facets into one. It’s horrifying and tragic, and suffused with ambiguity (a lot of what happens may or may not be hallucinations) but also unexpectedly sweet, and sprinkled with some comic bits. It’s a fitting bow on one of the most pleasingly unexpected movie packages I’ve found so far this year.

Grade: B