Daniel Grou directs violent dramas with patience and close attention to actors. We rate his ability to make difficult material credible, though careful staging can leave the people less memorable than what happens to them.
Fi1m perspective
A shot held long enough for the actors to carry it is a useful place to begin with Daniel Grou. His long takes and controlled staging suit dramas about violence and trauma, where a performance needs room to register more than the immediate shock. He works closely with actors, and that care gives us a reason to follow him through some uninviting material. The reservation is that technical precision does not guarantee memorable characters, a weakness apparent in his torture-revenge feature debut, 7 Days (2010).
He came to features through music videos and television, including The Hunger (1997–2000) and French-language series such as Minuit, le soir. His other feature from 2010, 10½, concerns a troubled child in the care system, extending his interest in people under severe pressure. Difficult subjects alone would not be enough to distinguish the work. His collaboration with actor Claude Legault across three films is a more useful thread to follow, alongside the attention to ensemble performance in Cardinal (2017), whose first and third seasons he directed.
Vikings (2013) gives us a firm reason to be interested, though our recommendation belongs to the series rather than to one director. Grou directed seven episodes, contributing to Michael Hirst's historical drama rather than establishing it. We were caught up in the battles because Travis Fimmel's performance gave the fighting human consequences. The dialogue can be painfully blunt, and the countryside and battles sometimes offer stronger reasons to stay than what anybody says. It is material well suited to a director concerned with violence and credible performances, but we would not assign the whole programme's virtues or faults to him.
Mafia Inc. (2020), drawn from Montreal mafia history, continues his interest in crime. Work on Lupin and La Maison has kept him active in television too. We would follow the performances before choosing by the harshness of the subject. Start with Vikings if historical drama is your territory, and make room for some blunt dialogue.
Biography
Daniel Grou, frequently credited as Podz, is a Canadian film and television director. Born on 19 August 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, he has directed six feature films and episodes of numerous television series.
His credits include directing episodes of Vikings (2013), Cardinal (2017) and the French-language 19-2 (2011), as well as feature films such as 7 Days (2010), 10½ (2010) and Mafia Inc. (2020). He has also directed episodes of Lupin (2021).
Grou is a multiple Gémeaux Award winner for direction in dramatic television and has received nominations for Genie and Canadian Screen Awards.
