This documentary traces the folklore, stories and reality surrounding life amidst the hurricane force winds that beat down upon the residents of the Acadian region of western Cape Breton Island, between Margaree Harbour and Cheticamp. The film contains stunning landscapes shot in winds of 130 miles per hour. While there is often serious damage caused by these Suêtes, including roofs blown off of buildings and even homes torn apart, there is also a good dose of local humour which surrounds life under these harsh environmental conditions. Residents ranging from children to those over 90 years old tell their tales of life amidst the winds.
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"I recently had the pleasure of viewing Neal Livingston's 1999 film entitled Suêtes. [...] I'm not sure if Livingston has a knack for making his subjects relax in front of the camera or if he purposely used footage of his less camera-shy interviewees, for all the people who told their stories relayed them in a relaxed and unfeigned manner. Often (his) camera would go into their living rooms, giving the film a down-to-earth tone. [...] Suêtes is another highly original film from Livingston. I imagine documentaries about wind are primarily scientific and do not delve into the cultural impacts of the wind. I doubt many are as funny as Suêtes."
KIDSON, Daisy. "The nature of Suêtes", shunpiking, The Discovery Magazine, vol 5, No. 32 (February - March 2000)
