If he were to tell a fishing story, we have no doubt that Fabien Cloutier would love it. In the skin of the character of the “friend at Chabot”, created for his play Scotstown a long time ago now, he would undoubtedly embellish his story with salacious remarks, sacred words and colorful expressions. Exactly the opposite of what he does in Taking the Wood.
The documentary series he co-directed with Émile David tells stories of hunting and fishing. Not so much to praise the exploits of the followers who confide in the host, but to know their deep motivations. “We wanted to shed light on people we see less and who have a rhythm very in tune with nature,” explains Fabien Cloutier, speaking of him and his co-director.
“Émile and I hunt and fish. We watch hunting and fishing shows, he continues, but when you talk to hunters and fishermen, they all say that the harvest is not the most important thing. What matters is what you experience, the people you meet and this is precisely the part that we almost never see in these shows. »
In Taking the Wood, Fabien Cloutier follows in the footsteps of four people who live from contact with nature. Like Ken Taylor, “icon of hunting and wrist shooting”, based in Waskaganish, in Nord-du-Québec. Or like Laurence Burton, lawyer who became a specialist in the identification and collection of edible and medicinal plants. These people don’t do the “outdoors”, they live from and with nature.
The nuance is important, because it very precisely circumscribes Fabien Cloutier’s project: he wanted to show people whose life choices are very different from those of the majority and whose lives are punctuated by the changes of seasons, the migrations of animals and plant growth. “For the majority of us, living to the rhythm of the seasons means putting on winter tires and dressing more,” illustrates the host. Our job does not change. »
What he discovers and transmits through these encounters are visions of the world and the place of human beings in nature. Territories, too, since he went to Nord-du-Québec, Gaspésie, the Eastern Townships and Pakuashipi, an Innu community settled well beyond the last asphalt kilometers of the 138. ” When you make nature a choice, it imposes a distance,” suggests Fabien Cloutier, thinking among other things of the fly fishing guide he met in the Bonaventure region.
Choosing nature also means, in the case of Laurence Burton, putting an end to comfort. During the summer, the young woman lives in her vehicle and travels from one region to another to maximize her harvests of wild plants. In the spirit of sharing knowledge, Fabien Cloutier takes him wild turkey hunting.
The host is introduced to bear hunting – Ken Taylor’s favorite. Will he take one down? You have to watch the show to find out. The essential thing, in the eyes of Fabien Cloutier, is however the meeting of the other. And it’s true that time spent in nature opens the door to more intimate exchanges. The old bear hunter, once built like a mirrored wardrobe, confides in the camera with surprising simplicity, evoking his successes and his regrets, his vision of life and death…
“The forest leaves room for introspection. Waiting in a cache or a viewpoint, making I don’t know how many fly casts in a day without catching anything, that leaves room to think, says Fabien Cloutier. Another form of contact with oneself is created. I think the documentary shows the richness that these moments can bring to people’s lives. »
He himself admits to needing this calm contact with nature. He was raised hunting and fishing. “Through this I met people who taught me things in life, I had interesting discussions which helped me know who I am,” he assures. It still helps me on a daily basis. »
