Fascinated by the drama of the “little girl from Granby”, found dead in 2019 after being mistreated in horrible circumstances, Guylaine Tremblay wondered why the grandmother had not inherited custody of the little one. She had the idea for the series Watch over meshowing on ICI Tou.tv’s Extra from October 10, which explores a blind spot in family law: the powerlessness of grandparents to defend their grandchildren who are victims of neglect.
The first two episodes of the series, which journalists were able to view on Monday, provoke great emotions. We have a lump in our throats seeing little Zack, 5 years old, torn between his mother and his grandmother, deeply hurt by life, who are fighting over custody of the adorable boy. The two women reproduce, consciously or not, their traumas inherited from dysfunctional families.
“The shit always ends up coming back with it! » summarizes Maggie, the grandmother played by Guylaine Tremblay, speaking of her daughter Corinne (Pascale Renaud-Hébert, who also wrote the screenplay).
Maggie has been taking care of little Zack (affecting Jérôme Hébert) for three years because Corinne, the boy’s mother, went on a monumental slide, which took her to Quebec with a violent partner. When Corinne returns to her Montreal suburb claiming to be completely sober, Maggie worries about Zack, who no longer even recognizes his mother.
The problem is that Maggie herself has neglected her daughter in the past due to a drinking problem. The two women do not trust each other. The fire ignites as soon as they attempt the slightest rapprochement. The tone rises, their old wounds too, and anger takes over.
Corinne and Maggie tear each other apart, it’s ugly, but “what they have in common is their true love for this child,” explains Guylaine Tremblay. The series questions the possibility of redemption. Can a mother change? And what is best for the child? We follow the investigation carried out by the “Child Protection Directorate” after a report of ill-treatment.
The scenario also explores “the real place of grandparents in relation to their grandchildren”. Without a court ruling, the grandmother has no legal authority to care for Zack.
I had already worked on similar characters for “Can you hear me?” I could, as a human, project myself without judgment, with empathy, into all the characters. These are not people who are far from me.
Understand rather than judge
Guylaine Tremblay very much hoped that Pascale Renaud-Hébert would agree to sign the script. She was impressed by the work of the author of the series Do you hear mewhich also took place in a disadvantaged and poorly educated environment.
“I had already worked on similar characters for Do you hear me? I could, as a human, project myself without judgment, with empathy, into all the characters. These are not people who are far from me,” says Pascale Renaud-Hébert. Director Rafaël Ouellet also feels close to the characters in the series.
Guylaine Tremblay wanted to play an eminently respectable grandmother despite her demons. “I lived for 13 or 14 years in the lower town of Quebec. There were Maggies. They are intelligent people, few words, who have a heart and are very dignified. Maggie, her house is clean,” she said.
This series is the first fiction series produced by Pamplemousse Média, France Beaudoin’s company. The host was seduced by the “universal” aspect of this drama, “which can happen to anyone”. She wanted there to be “light” in this dark story.
A moving Zack
The character of Samantha, Corinne’s bartender friend, brings some of this light. Karine Gonthier-Hyndman shines in the role of this rebellious woman, a rocker on the edges, who tells Corinne and Maggie their four truths.
The light also comes from young Jérôme Hébert, cracking as little Zack caught between the torments of his mother and grandmother. There coach Marie-Claude Saint-Laurent skillfully directed the 5-year-old boy so that he seemed troubled without having to bear the suffering of the little character.
She told the young actor to “pretend he had a bad cold” to appear emotional. The film crew played tag, collecting snails and Spider-Man to motivate the little actor.
Guylaine Tremblay remembers perfect moments with her accomplice, over the 28 days of filming in Vieux-Longueuil. The scene where she reads him the story of Little Red Riding Hood was filmed on a hot evening, around 9:15 p.m. It was late for the boy. “He said to me: “Guylou, I’m hot, but we actors never give up”! »