A Sunday at 105

How do you rebuild your sense of self after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder? Daniel Léger experienced his first manic episode in his early thirties. With courage and vulnerability, he recounts how his diagnosis shook his identity to the core. Through striking images created with fire and soot by visual artist Steven Spazuk, the film depicts Léger’s personality in rich nuances of shadow and light. The transformations paint a sensitive portrait of a man who, despite his mental health struggles, has been able to rise from the ashes.

In their small country home in New Brunswick, Jean-Paul and Anne, who suffer respectively from physical and intellectual impairments, share an unwavering love for each other. Declarations of love, little gifts, jokes and affectionate nicknames highlight their deeply moving relationship, a relationship that transcends difference. Together, they look after Jean-Paul’s ailing parents. With great respect for those who confide in him, Daniel Léger presents love through the eyes of two people with disabilities, and in so doing, creates an inspiring lesson in happiness.

“We’re beautiful, the whole gang. We’re special,” says Jean of the 15-odd employees at The Artisan—a workshop employing people with intellectual disabilities. Jean is the self-described “handyman and best-looking” member of the group. A moving celebration of difference, The Artisans captures daily life at an organization where the workers are as courageous as they are colourful.