When Vlace is suspended for hitting a classmate, Sasha is called to come get his son at school and has no choice but to take him along on his delivery route.

French Canadian filmmaker Hervé Demers is starting to make quite the name for himself, and after sharing with us his white (or grey) masterpiece ‘Les adieux de la grises’ we are blessed with another culturally toned piece of work: ‘Le nom que tu portes’ (The Name You Carry). In this starkly toned film, an immigrant teenage boy is suspended for hitting a classmate, and his father is called to come get his son at school and has no choice but to take him along on his delivery route. During this intimate journey, we discover what provoked Vlace’s uncharacteristic act, as father and son find their way toward a new understanding. What begins as a father/son relationship film, grows into something much bigger almost in complete silence.

This 17 min narrative short is featuring Sasha Samar, a highly talented Montreal actor of Ukrainian origin and his son Vlace. They are both from Kiyv originally. Well known in Canada for their work in the theatre, they both play the leading roles in this piece that was entirely written for them.

Through this father and son story, the idea was to explore the notion of cultural heritage within the context of immigration.

Just like in his previous film, Hervé uses simple (but perfectly thought out) photography, along with lots of long silences. It’s these pensive moments that silently build the story and characters, giving the audience time and opportunity to get into the deep thoughts as well – and that is brilliant and engaging filmmaking.