Bermuda International Film Festival 2009

West of Pluto is a zany and dramatic portrait of 24 hours in the lives of 12 teenagers living in the suburbs of Quebec City. On a day when the kids are giving hilarious class presentations on their hobbies, Pierre-Olivier is coming to grips with the fact that Pluto has lost its status as a planet; Jerome is trying to express his feelings for the girl he loves; Nicolas and Steve are attempting to name their hopeless punk band; Emilie is organising a party for the girls that you just know is headed for disaster. In this mix are all the things teens experience for the first time: infatuation, drugs, sex and alcohol. In a raw and authentic manner – probably because the filmmakers auditioned and improvised with students from their old high school, rather than trained actors – the kids are confronted with the opinions they have about themselves, their friends and their situations. West of Pluto is funny, sad and very real.