Six strangers are about to stay in the estate of a billionaire, when the helicopter carrying them lands urgently in the middle of nowhere. But help is slow in coming, and during that time we are witnessing disappearances, accidents and deaths. Here is the universe in which screenwriters Annie Piérard, Bernard Dansereau and their son Étienne Piérard-Dansereau will immerse viewers this winter with their series One way ticket.
After writing Annie and her men, All the truth, Epidemic and The impostor two or three, they wanted to explore another genre of television: an investigative thriller whose objective is to find out who committed the crimes. “In Quebec, we do very few productions in the vein of Agatha Christie’s works,” explains Bernard Dansereau. We tried to draw inspiration from this tradition by dusting it off. ”
Like the game Clue or evenings “murder and mystery”, during which one wonders who lies and who committed the crime, the protagonists ofOne way ticket will try to understand what is happening to them. “We ask several questions during the series,” says the screenwriter. Are they really there by accident? Is the person responsible for what is happening to them among them or is it external forces forcing it on them? Since it’s called One way ticket, is there going to be a return for them? ”
Thus, a star criminal lawyer, a retired teacher, a religious art dealer, an ex-police officer, a marketing director and a businesswoman will be trapped in a closed session that will not last very long. “If we go into what seems to be a closed door à la Agatha Christie, it will evolve into a thriller with philosophical accents”, specifies Annie Piérard.
Directed by Yan Lanouette Turgeon (The impostor, Epidemic, The countries above 4) and relying on a thunderous cast (Marc Beaupré, Éric Bruneau, Samian, Caroline Dhavernas, Nathalie Doummar, Anick Lemay, Rémi-Pierre Paquin, Anie Pascale, Luc Picard), the six-episode series will be broadcast on Noovo .
Write with six hands
When you ask the writers about the origin of the project, they have a hard time remembering who came up with the idea. “We often forget where the original idea came from, because we all rework it together,” says Étienne Piérard-Dansereau, before hearing his father add to it. “It’s good news when you don’t remember it, because it means that we took the basic idea elsewhere,” says Bernard Dansereau.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Bernard Dansereau, Annie Piérard and Étienne Piérard-Dansereau
If Quebec television has seen many author duets prove their worth (Sylvie Lussier and Pierre Poirier, Fabienne Larouche and Réjean Tremblay, Anne Boyer and Michel D’Astous), the feather trios are becoming rarer. Even more so when it comes to parents who work with their child.
In Annie Piérard’s eyes, this is not the easiest path. “It’s definitely longer than writing alone,” she says. And it is not at all ecological. There are so many scenes that we write that end up in the trash, because they are not unanimous. “
We are far from always agreeing. But when we pass our ideas through a sieve, we gain confidence and self-confidence.
Annie Piérard, screenwriter
The youngest member of the trio says he doesn’t feel like he’s working with his parents, but with colleagues. “These are two people who have more experience than me,” says Étienne Piérard-Dansereau. I learn from them as I go. We get along well and we are able to work together without arguing too much, most of the time. ”
Note: Bernard Dansereau lives with his son Étienne what he himself experienced at the age of 20, writing with his father, Fernand Dansereau. “It’s special, because we share things between parents and children, or between the members of a couple, that the majority of people do not share: we have access to the imagination of the other. ”
His wife also has the impression of hearing her lover talking to her when she writes. “By dint of working with him, I have my Bernard integrated into writing,” she emphasizes. I tell myself that he would make such and such a remark. And for the past few years, I have also had my Étienne integrated. I hear the comments he would make. ”
Different angles
In the midst of work, their points of view are certainly not the same. “Annie is really a girl of details, reveals her husband. She won’t let go until it’s perfect. Étienne and I are less focused on the finish. But I love my son’s fresh look. It brings a whole different perspective. ”
If you ask the trio for their winning working recipe, they will quickly tell you that there is none. “Sometimes we find ourselves in three different cities when we write,” says Annie Piérard. Other times, we spend long hours writing around the same table. Étienne doesn’t live with us, but when he has dinner at home, we talk about our projects. ”
One way ticket on Noovo Wednesdays 8 p.m., starting January 12