Some time after the massacre, Jean-François, feeling guilty for complying with the order to leave the classroom and abandoning the women, commits suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning.

The rest of the cast listed alphabetically: Karine Vanasse, who played Valérie, helped produce Polytechnique, and wanted to make a film about the massacre for years.

[5] École Polytechnique de Montréal gave the filmmakers the right to use the campus as a location, but Villeneuve opted against filming there to be respectful.

[12] Its release sparked controversy in Quebec and across Canada for its depiction of real life events involving the murder of unarmed students.

[...] It stands as a work of art, summoning unspoken thoughts the way Picasso's war abstraction Guernica does in a scene of contemplation with Jean-François.

"[19] Katherine Monk of Canwest News Services gave the film four stars out of five; "The paradox may sound grotesque, but it must be stated loud and clear: Denis Villeneuve and the cast of Polytechnique have transformed the tragedy of the Montreal Massacre into a work of profound beauty.

"[20] Critics compared Polytechnique, favorably and/or unfavorably, to Gus Van Sant's Palme d'Or winning 2003 film Elephant.

Scott wrote that like Villeneuve's later film Incendies, Polytechnique was a statement on decency being more powerful than savagery, and benefited from a rational look on an extreme matter.

[21] In Variety, Rob Nelson compared it unfavourably to Halloween (1978) and other violent horror films, but gave it marks for addressing the misogyny of the crime.

[22] Ray Bennett criticized the film in The Hollywood Reporter for not examining the psychology of The Killer, and could not understand why the characters did not pull the fire alarm.

"[23] Time Out gave it four stars, saying it avoided tabloid journalism and foreshadowed the message of forgiveness in the face of horror in Incendies.