Polytechnique (2009)

Polytechnique (2009), a Canadian drama film directed and written by Denis Villeneuve and Jacques Davidts, follows the actions of a troubled young man. Armed with a rifle, he leaves a message for his mother before heading to Polytechnique Montreal – an engineering school – and interrupting a class. With his weapon in hand, he orders the men to leave while commanding the women to stay. When they hesitate, he fires into the ceiling to prove the gravity of his intent. He then proceeds to express disdain towards feminists, despite some of the women denying any association with the movement. Tragically, he opens fire on these innocent students, killing and injuring several in cold blood. As he roams through the corridors and cafeteria, his targets remain exclusively female.

Amidst this chaos is Jean-François – one of the male students initially ordered to flee. Instead of obeying, he returns to confront and potentially stop the attacker or provide aid to those in need. Valérie and Stéphanie, two surviving women, initially played dead fearing the killer’s return. Sadly, Stéphanie eventually succumbs to her injuries. The murderer then proceeds to a different classroom where he takes the life of a female lecturer. Some time later, Jean-François takes his own life by carbon monoxide poisoning due to his guilt for leaving the women behind as ordered. Despite these tragedies, Valérie, who wears the prestigious Iron Ring as a Canadian engineer, discovers she is pregnant. She begins making arrangements to teach her future child about the importance of love and claiming their rightful place in the world.