VIFF -- Review: Iron Boy

Clichy draws from his childhood in his first feature, Iron Boy

Iron Boy (2026)

Iron Boy is a lovely, funny, endearing animation feature debut by Louis Clichy, who has worked at Pixar on Wall-E and Up, and has directed two Asterix animation films.

Making its North American premiere at TIFF and then Vancouver at VIFF, Iron Boy won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes last spring.

The family lives on a farm in France

It's about Christophe, a 10-year-old boy whose family has a farm, and he is keen to learn how to drive the tractor, but he starts leaning sideways, which causes an accident and he must wear a torturous metal back brace to hold his head up 24 hours a day, even while sleeping.

But Christophe discovers the beauty of the sounds the organ makes in the church, and thanks to an encouraging teacher, the boy shows talent in playing the magnificent instrument, which soon becomes his passion, much to the chagrin of his father who is desperately trying to make ends meet and resents his son's inability to physically help out on the farm.

The scenes are beautifully hand painted with watercolours that look simple, and yet convey so much emotion and nuance, that viewers can easily relate to Christophe and his coming-of-age story, the financial pressures on the family, and tensions in familial relationships.

Christophe is keen to drive the tractor

The scenes along with the dialogue are both funny and heartbreaking, and the audience couldn't help but cheer at the end of the film.

It turns out Iron Boy was inspired by Clichy's own childhood, as he grew up on a farm in the Beauce region in north-central France until he was 10 years old and wore a back brace. His son Gary is the voice of Christophe, while the other voices are from non-actors, giving it a more realistic effect.

In French, the name is Le Corset, not Iron Boy, but possibly to avoid any misinterpretations, the English title is different. Nevertheless, hopefully Iron Boy will have a greater release, as it has universal themes of growing up, finding one's passions and standing up for oneself.

Iron Boy

Directed by Louis Clichy

90 minutes

Picture of the Day: Fresh Corn

Each kernel is bursting with natural sweetness

Summer means picking strawberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, and corn.

On the weekend a friend was going to Chilliwack to check out Greendale Acres, an experiential farm which is now celebrating corn season with a giant corn maze that has a different design each year.

What a bounty of corn!

Chilliwack is about an hour and a half drive east from Vancouver.

I asked my friend to bring back half a dozen corn for me, and she ignored my request and gave me 10 corn wrapped tightly in the green husks.

Not wasting any time, I promptly removed those husks off three corn on the cob and boiled them, and they were absolutely delicious. They had a sharp crunch when I bit into them and the kernels were so sweet. You don't need butter!

 

Blueberry Picking Has Begun

Large bunches of ripe blueberries to pick

This morning we got up early to pick blueberries on a farm in Delta.

Emma Lea Farms announced that today was the start of blueberry season and we decided we'd be one of the first to pick these brilliant berries. The weather was perfect with some clouds and about 15 degrees.

The farm has many rows of blueberry bushes

Traffic was relatively light -- most people staying at home or going to watch World Cup parties to watch Canada play against Morocco in Houston, Texas.

We drove south for about 40 minutes and our journey just before reaching the farm included going across a wooden bridge that only had a single lane; it was manned by two people standing on either side to direct traffic.

The farm was started in 1885 by Joseph Tamboline, an immigrant from Italy. He and his wife Emma started by farming mostly grain and hay, and used heavy work horses instead of tractors.

By 1954, Tamboline's granddaughter and her husband bought the farm and had award-winning dairy cattle, and grew grain, hay, potatoes, peas, sugar beet, beans and corn. In 1994, the farm marked its 100th anniversary with recognition from the provincial government.

Conditions were perfect for picking this morning

In 1975, the fourth generation took over, and added new crops, like strawberries, rutabaga, and cabbage. Today the fifth generation grow strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, tayberries, boysenberries, and blackberries, as well as vegetables like beans, peas, rutabagas, beets and cabbage.

The farm also raises cattle, chicken, and three rescue miniature donkeys.

At the entrance, visitors are asked to choose which container they wish to purchase, from small cardboard boxes, to large buckets to put their berries in. For $48 I got an 8L bucket. It looks daunting to fill it up with blueberries, but in about an hour and a half we were able to fill it and have a large heaping mound on top.

Being the first batch of visitors to pick blueberries, we entered rows of blueberry bushes and there were lots of ripe berries ready to be picked. They were firm and easy to pick. Periodically we would move to another row, but in general most of them had medium to large-sized blueberries. 

Lots of berries to pick (and eat)!

The kids couldn't resist eating the blueberries as they picked them, while I focused on the task at hand! Yes I'm serious about my berries!

By the time we left just after 11am, many people were coming to pick the berries, but the temperatures were starting to rise, and mosquitoes were buzzing around looking for victims.

We left at a good time with a giant bucket filled with blueberries. At home I sifted through the berries, picking out the green stems and some unripe ones, and placed the unwashed blueberries in plastic bags that I later put in the freezer. 

Sadly we later found out at lunch that Morocco was winning 2-0, and then the final score was 3-0. Most fans are just thrilled to see Canada advance to the final 16! What an amazing run!

Local Produce Showcased at The Botanist

Precisely presented scallop crudo with black apple and celery

The other day we were invited to dinner at The Botanist, described as a modern Canadian restaurant located in the Fairmont Pacific Rim in downtown Vancouver. 

I have eaten here a handful of times for lunch and really enjoy the atmosphere, as it's not stuffy, but not casual either, the food is always memorable, and service is friendly.

Earthy snails and mushrooms under the basil pasta

We were there to try chef Hector Laguna's latest menu featuring the fresh organic produce of Local Harvest, a farm in Chilliwack.

Dan Oostenbrink and his wife own the farm and their sons help out on this family-run operation. They bought it in 2013, assuming they would need to use pesticides and fertilizers and for the first year they did that. But the following year they brought in a different consultant who advised they use less of their land in the beginning and grow organic produce. 

At first Oostenbrink was skeptical, but recalls when his son harvested a perfectly round cauliflower with no imperfections, he was heartened and encouraged that it was possible. Since then they have expanded to use the 37 acres and use regenerative farming like composting and increased biodiversity to keep the soil fertile.

Steamed sablefish with squash compote

They grow all kinds of herbs, root vegetables, legumes, squashes, cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, cabbage, bok choy, kale and spinach.

So we were excited to try chef Hector's menu that featured lots of Local Harvest's produce.

A trio of amuse bouche began the meal: an oyster tartare of compressed vegetable roots and citrus topped with some caviar served in an edible oyster shell; chicken wingettes with mojo de ajo and smoked salmon roe; and side striped sope, or thick corn tortilla with vegan XO sauce, shellfish emulsion and salicornia, or sea asparagus.

These amuse bouche were beautifully presented and tasted delicious, but they were messy to pick up, and my fingers were coated in too much sauce.

Very tender wagyu with an onion tart

Nevertheless things picked up immensely with the scallop crudo, slices of the meaty seafood interspersed with slices of black apple, together with celery, ginger and more caviar. It was a delicate presentation that tasted refreshing and light.

The next dish moved from the water to the ground with the earthy tasting grilled Burgundy snails cooked together with foraged mushrooms, and pickled garlic scapes hidden under a sheet of basil-flavoured fresh pasta with madeira jus.

We went back into the water again with steamed sablefish provided by EatFish.ca. the fillet was finished with a red kuri and carnival squash compote, with epazote, a leafy herb, and salsa macha to give it a subtle spicy kick. This dish was artfully presented with an intricate leafy design made of squash.

Creative pear and squash verrine

The final savoury dish was also memorable -- roasted wagyu zabuton, or marbled steak that was cooked to have a very tender taste and texture, with some clarified bone marrow drops. The dish came with a small onion tart and grainy mustard. We savoured each bite of the wagyu.

For dessert, an intriguing finish using kabocha squash to make a light cremeux, which is between a cream and a custard that was accompanied with Anjou pear compote, and intriguingly, candy cap mushroom ice cream! 

The Botanist

1038 Canada Place

Vancouver, BC

V6C 0B9

+1 604 695 5300

Fresh Vegetables Inspire Good Eating

Fresh mixed greens with cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes

Yesterday I went to Harvest Community Foods on Union Street, at the edge of Vancouver's Chinatown. It's an inviting small grocery store that has fresh vegetables and fruits. At the entrance there were large yellow-orangey globes of peaches, verdant green English cucumbers, giant russet-coloured tomatoes, pears that had yet to ripen, and bright red cherry tomatoes.

The shop sells CSA produce, or Community Supported Agriculture, where they connect with local farmers, get their produce, and Harvest bundles them up in paper shopping bags to sell. It's a farmer's market mixed bag of veggies that changes weekly depending on what's harvested.

French fingerling potatoes from an organic farm

The owners, chef Andrea Carlson and Gabrielle Meyer, had just signed a lease on a space a few doors down just weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. They had just started doing the CSA bags with about 40 subscribers. When everything shut down and people were worried about going to supermarkets, they began inquiring about Harvest's CSA bags and instead of 40 subscribers, they got 400.

While it was a lot of hard work for Harvest's team in sorting out the vegetables evenly into bags, it was a lifeline for local farmers who didn't know how else to get their produce to customers.

I was given a bag of CSA produce to take home too and today I started eating some of it.

For lunch I made a spring salad and cut up some of the English cucumber and the ripe cherry tomatoes. The tomatoes were so good, almost as juicy sweet as the ones in Tuscany! 

The roasted potato slices with salt and pepper

Then for dinner I took the French fingerling potatoes, sliced them, marinated them in oil, salt and pepper and then roasted them for 20 minutes. They tasted so fresh, and complemented roasted chicken drumsticks.

I also took the bunch of spinach and stir-fried them Chinese-style with shallots, garlic and ginger. The spinach was delicious mixed with leftover shrimp and tofu with vermicelli.

There's still a bunch of kale, the exotic-sounding Dragon Tongue beans, a red pepper, onion and corn left!

Perusing Pumpkins at the Patch

The farm has three muddy pumpkin patches to choose from

With Halloween around the corner, this morning we went to Richmond Country Farms to visit the pumpkin patch.

Interesting combo of dinosaurs and pumpkins

It is off the Steveston Highway and at the turnoff there was a massive traffic jam that inched onto the overpass. Also, many other families and schools had the same idea of visiting this farm today so it was packed full of people.

There are tractor-pulled wagons to take visitors to the pumpkin patch, and while you wait, there's a group of musicians to keep you entertained with songs to sing along. And once you get onto the open-air wagon, you have to shout "Yee-haw!" to get it going. 

Another folk guitarist gets the wagon passengers to sing "Old Macdonald Had a Farm" and then we arrive at the entrance to the pumpkin patch -- that includes three robotic dinosaurs! Talk about prehistoric farm...

The pumpkin patch was very muddy -- which was made less slippery with lots of straw strewn all over the grounds. And there were lots and lots of pumpkins to choose from, small to large, pretty much in uniform pumpkin orange.

And then take that pumpkin home to carve. Many do the usual simple face, but at a local supermarket, someone got really creative with a giant pumpkin and carved a grumpy wrinkly face with three eyes!

Check out this pumpkin carving at a supermarket

Fort Langley: Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

The patches of gardens are pretty and colourful at Krause

This morning I headed out to Fort Langley for a visit. It's an hour away by car, taking Grandview Highway going east onto Highway 1, passing Burnaby, Surrey, Coquitlam and Pitt Meadows... 

Blueberry waffles are good to share

It's a relatively easy drive and once in Langley township, there's a lot of farm land growing blueberries, corn and other fruits.

Our first stop was Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery, a massive compound that has U-pick berries (blueberries now in season), as well as a sandbox for kids to play in, and lovely garden patches full of blooming flowers to admire.

Most impressive was the store that is choc full of the farm's signatures, from fresh berries and vegetables to jam, fruit-flavoured syrup, numerous pies from strawberry to blackberry, peach and apple. The jams come in vegan and no sugar, in blueberry, blackberry strawberry and rhubarb. 

Interestingly it does not encroach on its neighbour's business of selling honey, so Krause does not sell any kind of honey at all. Krause also sells farm-style crockery, scarves, and even pyjamas with blueberries on them.

Lots of pies, like blackberry for sale!

We could not resist trying the blueberry waffles -- a large round one that had a squirt of syrup followed by a massive mount of blueberries topped with a generous swirl of canned whipped cream.

The waffle itself wasn't too sweet, and the blueberries were so large and plump that we didn't want to waste any and two of us managed to finish the plate. I was intrigued by the drink of strawberry milk on the menu, but it ended up being a plastic bottle that was bought from a store. 

Meanwhile the wine tasting room is fun -- those sitting at the bar actually sit on saddles! 

The food choices at Krause are on the limited side -- only waffles with seasonal fruits, ice cream, pizza, fries or at the bar there's nachos... 

Nevertheless, it's a fun stop that's family-oriented and appeals to everyone at some level. 

Get on the saddle at the wine bar

Krause Berry Farms & Estate Winery

6179 248th Street

Langley, BC

604 856 5757

Remembering the Queen

The Queen died today at the age of 96

This morning Vancouver time we woke up to the news that members of the Royal family were rushing to Balmoral Castle in Scotland to be by the Queen's side.

The news cycle was constantly reminding views of the situation, having royal experts on talking about the same thing in every imaginable angle, showing the same footage over and over again.

After we left Whistler to return to Vancouver, we checked our phones to find out the Queen had died. She was 96 years old.

She and Prince Philip visited Vancouver in 1983

For the majority of people on the planet, she is the only Queen we have known since childhood, a constant grandmotherly figure in our lives who put duty before everything else. Perhaps her only misstep was not sympathising with the people's profound sorrow over the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

Her children have had some scandals -- Prince Andrew the latest to cause great distress with his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Nevertheless, she held her family together and they continued to march stoically.

But that brave face is now gone, leaving many bereft and wondering what is in store with King Charles III who will make a formal address tomorrow.

Today many were recounting their encounters with the Queen on the radio and on social media, some humorous, others touching. She and her family even hung out with a family on their potato farm in Manitoba in the 1970s! They are lounging on those terrible wide nylon ribbon folding chairs in a backyard.

I saw her from a far distance in BC Place in 1983. Students were invited to come to the massive stadium that held over 60,000 people to sing a song to her and wave small Canadian flags. As she entered in an open-top car wearing a yellow suit and straw hat, we all screamed and shouted as if she were a rockstar as the car made a loop around the stadium.

Visiting a HK outdoor market stall in 1975

We all thought she looked at us and waved our flags even more frantically.

When she left, she made a speech in which she thanked everyone for the flowers she received -- so much so she could now open a flower shop.

During her 70-year reign, the British empire crumbled with decolonisation -- a good thing -- and she embraced the inevitable.

It would have been fascinating to know what she thought of the Chinese and Hong Kong's fate after 1997. But it was her son Charles who attended the ceremony who had some interesting observations.

In his diary he wrote everyone he spoke to was optimistic about Hong Kong's future, but added: "In the background was the sneaking worry about creeping corruption and the gradual undermining of Hong Kong's greatest asset -- the rule of law".

Then he concluded: "Thus we left Hong Kong to her fate, and the hope that Martin Lee [Chu-ming], the leader of the Democrats would not be arrested."

Charles represented the Queen at the handover

Charles also lamented how the loss of Hong Kong was the end of Britain's Empire, as it had been the jewel in the imperial crown for the best part of the UK's 156-year colonial rule.

Many in Hong Kong are mourning the passing of the Queen by posting old photographs of her visiting the city in 1975, and of her profile on pre-1997 coins. 

It's interesting to note how prescient the now King was 25 years ago on worrying about Lee being arrested. It was only a matter of time...

Meanwhile it is absolutely atrocious that Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu choses to release the blandest statement ever on the death of the Queen.

While many other dignitaries try to recall specific incidents or places where they met her, Lee just sticks to the fact that she was the longest-reigning monarch at 70 years, and how she was "greatly respected, admired and praised by the British people",

She was Queen of Hong Kong, her face was on the then colony's currency, postal stamps, her portrait hung in government offices and schools, and Government House had crockery with "ER II" on them. School children sang "God Save the Queen".

The Queen's head was on Hong Kong currency

To deny her Royal Highness was a big part of Hong Kong is outrageous and a pathetic attempt to erase her from the city's history, and to continue the ridiculous narrative that it was not a British colony.

Along with the nostalgia of Hong Kong before 1997, the Queen just may have become yet another sign of quiet resistance, of insisting to remember her in one form or another.

Wonder what she would have thought of that.

As Paddington Bear says, "Thank you ma'am... for everything".