A teenage Quebecer in the 1960s evolves from pro-independence activist to radical terrorist, in this gripping chronicle of the origins of the FLQ in the decade preceding the 1970 October Crisis.

Mathieu Denis' gripping solo directorial debut examines the rise of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) — the militant separatist group that precipitated the October Crisis of 1970 — through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Jean Corbo (Anthony Therrien). Radicalized by a variety of factors — his lawyer father's big-L liberal leanings, his older brother's passionate support of a pro-independence party, the prejudices of the province's English minority, and a chance encounter with a pretty young FLQ activist whom he hides from school authorities — the fearless and committed Jean joins a student cell and rises quickly through the FLQ ranks.

Beautifully crafted and rigor­ously intelligent, CORBO is one of those rare historical films that allow us to understand the reasons behind radical actions even as it refuses to gloss over their some­times dire consequences.

– Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)