THE LAST SCAR

The Last Scar

A film by Philippe Gagnon

Documentary

2025

70 min

French with English subtitles

With Yvon Rioux

LOGLINE

Witnessing a horrific scene in the middle of a schoolyard, a teacher invites us to discover the path to rebuilding.

SYNOPSIS

When Yvon Rioux, a teacher and singer, witnesses the brutal murder of a former student, shot before his eyes, his world collapses. Traumatized, he develops post-traumatic stress disorder, which disrupts his life and reopens old wounds. Haunted by the silence of his grandfather, a World War II veteran, he decides to travel across Europe to confront his fears, understand his past, and begin his healing process. The Last Scar is an intimate portrait of a man in search of inner peace, navigating themes of memory, legacy, and resilience.

Technical information

Duration: 70 minutes

Language: French with English subtitles

Filming: 4k - color

Ratio scope | Sound 5.1

DCP - ProRes - H264

Filming location: Canada (Quebec)

Country of action: Canada (Quebec)

Festivals and awards

4th Val-Morin Auteur Film Festival - Val-Morin, Canada / April 2025

Director

Philippe Gagnon

Biography

Philippe Gagnon directs for television and film, working in both French and English. He is known, among other things, for the hit film Dans une Galaxie près de chez vous 2 and Premier Juillet le film. He has also directed 24 English-language feature films, including The Good Sister (Winner of Best TV Movie, Seoul; Nominated for Best Director, Canadian Screen Awards), Amber Alert (Nominated for Best Director, Canadian Screen Awards), and First Response (Nominated for Best TV Movie, Canadian Screen Awards). For television, he has directed episodes of Nos Étés 3, Yamaska (Nominated for Best Director, Gémeaux Awards), Jérémie, and Campus. In addition to his directing work, he has edited several projects, including Robert Lepage's La Face Cachée de la Lune, Yan England's 1:54, and the Oscar-nominated short film Henry.

Filmography

TERROR TRAIN 2, fiction feature, 2022

TERROR TRAIN, fiction feature, 2022

CAMPUS, youth series, 2021

THE SECRET SAUCE, fiction feature, 2021

SWEPT UP BY CHRISTMAS, fiction feature, 2020

THE LEAD, fiction feature, 2019

JÉRÉMIE V, drama series, 2019

RADIO SILENCE, fiction feature, 2018

MEAN QUEEN, fiction feature, 2018

TWISTED, fiction feature, 2017

SLEEPER, fiction feature, 2017

SOMETIMES THE GOOD KILL, fiction feature, 2016

GIRL'S NIGHT OUT, fiction feature, 2016

RUN TO ME, fiction feature, 2015

AMBER ALERT, fiction feature, 2015 …

Director's Note

We don't know much about post-traumatic stress disorder. While making The Last Scar, I learned that it can happen to any one of us. This documentary is a film about resilience where we followed Yvon Rioux from Morin-Heights to Auschwitz, passing through the cliffs of England, in search of his wounds and his answers. Thanks to the incredible Vital team and the generosity of all the participants, we were able to follow Yvon's inner journey in order to better understand this condition, which is so difficult to live with and explain.

Producer

Serge Desrosiers

Biography

Co-founder, president and executive producer of Vital Productions, Serge Desrosiers is the producer behind numerous projects, including the documentaries Mon Oncle Patof (2021), Amour Cougar : au-delà du mythe (2017) and Lise Watier : une vie à entreprendre (2014), several short films such as Pacific Bell and Ange & Ovni, and Renée Beaulieu's feature film Habiter la Maison (2025). Also a director of photography, he is a leading figure in the Quebec film industry, where he has worked for nearly 30 years.

In 2009, he co-founded Vital Productions with director and content producer Sandrine Béchade, and completed training in television and film management at HEC Montréal to add production to his already extensive career.

He brings his deep knowledge of the industry to Vital Productions' projects while continuing to work as a director of photography. Serge Desrosiers also shares his expertise as a speaker in Los Angeles and Paris, notably at the American Film Market Association and Ciné-Québec. Deeply involved in his field, he has served on the boards of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, the Sainte-Adèle Chamber of Commerce, the CLD des Pays-d'en-Haut and the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.

Filmography

LES CHRYSALIDES, documentary feature, 2026

UN RENVERSEMENT, documentary feature, 2026

TIGHT LETTUCE, feature film, 2026

L'AMOUR DU GROS BALLON, documentary feature, 2026

HERBY, documentary feature, 2026

AU PIED DU MUR, documentary feature, 2026

YEGOLÉ, MON AMOUR, short documentary, 2026

RETOUR À TADOU, short film, 2025

MARCHE AU PAYS RÉEL, documentary feature, 2025

UNE DERNIÈRE CICATRICE, documentary feature, 2025

HABITER LA MAISON, feature film, 2025