“The culture of silence can corrupt an entire community,” warns Pierre-Marc Drouin, the screenwriter of In Memoriam and the new product expected this fall at TVA, Armsabout Mont-Rouge. The new detective series he is signing for Radio-Canada, also directed by Jim Donovan, was designed in the style of a whodunit to the Broadchurch. “We have a gallery of characters in a closed environment and we wonder who committed the crime,” he emphasizes.
Writing a series of this kind allowed him to address at the same time social themes that are dear to him, such as the differences between classes and the culture of silence. “ Mont-Rouge is about the propensity we have to say to ourselves: “OK, I witness something reprehensible, but I prefer to look elsewhere rather than intervene or denounce.” »
Welcome to New Brunswick, to a peaceful village celebrating the end of the tourist season. In the midst of the festivities, a man, also apparently without incident, is brutally murdered near the Murray Manor, a real engine of the local economy, where he has just invested an astronomical sum of money.
The victim, Tim Coffman, is therefore a rich businessman played by Frank Schorpion (Monica the machine gun), visibly loved by everyone, if the shock wave that fell on Mont-Rouge at the announcement of his death is to be believed. Who could blame him so much for committing the irreparable and going so far as to disguise the crime as an accident? Local policewoman Manon Daigle, played by Karène Chiasson, is entrusted with the case alongside the homicide inspector dispatched to the scene from Moncton, Luc Doiron, to whom Normand Daneau lends his features.
“At first, it seems like the murder of a rich man, but it’s much more than that,” warns Pierre-Marc Drouin. The further we progress in the series, the more viewers realize that everyone has looked elsewhere to be able to maintain a certain order in place. “No one denounces anyone so that financial shenanigans, vile quarrels or inequalities can continue,” says the screenwriter. And to continue: “The more we progress in the series, the more we realize that the victim was someone who could have been killed by many different people…”
In fact, Tim Coffman was very influential and had a lot of power within the Mont-Rouge community. Agnès Murray, the owner, played by Monique Spaziani, was, for example, his ex-spouse, while André Roy, Mayor Armand Saulnier on screen, was his discreet business partner. “So much rested on Tim Coffman that many people preferred to keep things quiet,” confides Pierre-Marc Drouin. If anyone who witnessed anything bad had the guts to denounce him, it would have prevented other misfortunes. » The screenwriter does not mince his words to describe the character, who comes straight from his imagination. “He is toxic, but he is presented as a hero in the village,” he says.
Obviously, the investigation is undermined since no one wants to talk. “But when it comes out, it explodes. It’s like a boiling pot that grows in size as the series progresses. » For the benefit of suspense. According to the screenwriter, the cosmetic aspect of the tourist season also reinforces the notion of illusion in Mont-Rouge. “We maintain the culture of silence for appearances. We want to show that everything is fine, even though it’s not,” he emphasizes. The end of the tourist season, when the series begins, allows the village to remove its mask.
To draw inspiration and soak up the atmosphere of the Maritimes, Pierre-Marc Drouin did not hesitate to go there, in Moncton and Shediac, for filming locations. “It helped me a lot with my writing,” he says. He who is very interested in Acadian culture, among other things because he has already gone to New Brunswick to Headquarters — this is his fourth project outside Quebec — sees this cooperation between the Canadian provinces favorably. “I find that in Quebec, we take Acadian culture a bit for granted,” he notes. To remedy this, the production of the series called on a cast largely from the region — Tanya Brideau, Florence Brunet, Gabriel-Vincent Deslauriers, Josiane Benoit, Carlo Weka, Matthieu Girard, Mélanie Léger, Annik Landry, to name a few. quote them. “If I can collaborate with them and help them express themselves, that’s great, because it’s an opportunity for the French-speaking world to express itself artistically,” he rejoices.
At any rate, Mont-Rouge would be a slow slide towards something dark, disturbing, dirty, believes the screenwriter. Down with appearances, down with silence, therefore. “At the beginning, we don’t realize how far we can go,” warns Pierre-Marc Drouin.