Despite the pictorial quality of its shots, reminiscent of the Pastoral and its topic, The Auction deeply deals with contemporary issues. It is about the struggle Gaby (Gabriel Arcand) a farmer has to face: either sell his farm and his house to help his daughter, who gets divorced and has to buy her ex-husband’s part of their house, or keep his farm and let her down. Marie (Lucie Laurier), the daughter, embodies the financial struggles the new generation goes through in a time of crisis as well as the impossibility of affording a house for a thirty-year-old woman. The Auction clearly discredits the past generations’ values, such as getting a land, which is maybe the biggest capitalist ideal. This family has owned the farm for decades, and that is why it is all the more difficult for Gaby to sell it: not only does it represent a success, but it is also a clue of the family link. In the 21st century, owning land is no longer a life project since the economical situation does not allow it. From this point of view, the English title cleverly highlights the pressure of finance on our every day lives, in a world ruled by capitalism.

However, the original title, Le démantèlement (The dismantling) is more relevant as far as the human relationships are concerned. It indeed conveys the idea of falling apart, a recurring motif throughout the movie. In a way, everything seems to crumble: the lambs are bled till death as the father figure collapses because of financial problems. The frame-within-the-frame effects within the shots from the inside of the farm emphasize Gaby’s figure waiting at the door, and convey his loneliness. Despite his devotion for his two daughters (“My life is all about my daughters,” he says), Gaby is still alone. Both, and especially Frédérique (Sophie Desmarais), the youngest, simply do not seem to really care about him. But the portrayal of the two daughters is deceiving: Marie, who appears in the first part of the movie, is actually visiting her father only because she is interested in his money. As for Frédérique, she is a ghost. Marie, Gaby and her mother keep talking about her but she does not appear until the last part of the movie. The narrative symmetry between these two characters is therefore relevant inasmuch as it enables the viewers to go over appearances and highlights the true involvement of Frédérique. Indeed, even if she does not often visit Gaby, she truly loves him as a father and she wishes he could come and see her acting in the theatre more often. In the end, The Auction subtly portrays human relationships and the articulation between tradition and modernity, rural and city lifestyles not only through its story but also through its meaningful photography.