Three Pines touches on sensitive topics

Series Three Pines tackles delicate subjects. It’s the least we can say. Articulated around a case of disappearances and murders – in the indifference of the police – of First Nations women, its first season also touches on the atrocities of residential schools for Aboriginals.

Although Three Pines (in French, The Village of Three Pines) is inspired by Louise Penny’s novels, her native narratives were not taken from her books. The idea came from the television adaptation’s lead writer, Emilia di Girolamo.

“She came to Quebec and asked me if it was okay for us to broach this type of subject,” says Louise Penny in an interview. I found that great. I wish I had this idea. But I don’t think I would have done it so well, or even dared to touch it. It’s such a delicate subject. I would have liked to do him justice, but without making any cultural appropriation. Could I have, as a hyper-privileged white woman, really put myself in the shoes of a lost, marginalized and ignored indigenous family, who feel that they are not able to make their voices heard? I do not know… ”

Consultants from First Nations

The series begins when Inspector Armand Gamache (Alfred Molina) decides to ignore directives from senior police department officials and investigate Blue Two-Rivers, an 18-year-old woman who has been missing for 13 months. . As punishment, his bosses send him to the reclusive village of Three Pines to investigate the suspicious death of a wealthy socialite. In the third and fourth episodes, he attempts to solve the murder of a man at a former Indian residential school, where other horrific acts were committed when the establishment was in operation.

This latest plot was concocted before the remains of 215 children were found in the spring of 2021 at the site of a former Indian residential school in Kamloops, British Columbia, and 751 unmarked graves near a former building of its kind in Saskatchewan. In addition to awakening trauma in some survivors, these macabre discoveries had caused shock waves across the country.

After this event, the leaders of Left Bank Pictures, the British production company behind Three Pines, “got more Aboriginal consultants” to make sure they “get it right,” says Louise Penny. They also recruited Mohawk screenwriter and filmmaker Tracey Deer to direct the thorny episodes.

With respect and empathy

The hiring of Tracey Deer did not go unnoticed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, who had been contacted to camp Sergeant Isabelle Lacoste.

“But as soon as I knew that Tracey Deer was attached to the project, it reassured me, and I was 100% invested, continues the actress and documentary filmmaker, who belongs to the Kainai people. And when I went through the script, I noticed the authors’ respect and empathy. They understood the importance of taking advice from indigenous people, who may have influenced the way the story was told. And I hope we can continue to build on this way of working if there is ever a season 2. ”

Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, however, says she faced “a moral dilemma” when it came time to portray a Canadian law enforcement officer on screen, given the “rich heritage of police brutality against Indigenous peoples.” ” in the country.

“Because I experienced police violence,” she says. I could see how it affected my own family, my community… But I recognize that a lot of indigenous people are in the police profession and try to change things from within. This is not an easy task when we know how the systems in place are intrinsically problematic and create situations of marginalization and weakening of indigenous communities. »

Rossif Sutherland, who plays Sergeant Jean-Guy Beauvoir, is happy to appear in the credits of a series that explores themes of such great complexity. “These are dangerous but important topics. We need to talk about it, and not just on the news. We have to put them in our stories, because with fiction, there is a side that can touch emotions and rally a lot of people. »

Listen and learn, without judging

A resident of the United States for several years, British-born Alfred Molina knew “little” about residential schools for Native Americans before joining the distribution of Three Pines. He claims to have learned a lot during the adventure.

“In the books, Gamache listens to people. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to listen to their stories, to understand in depth what had happened. Without judgement. »

The arrival of a large-scale series like Three Pines on Prime Video, Amazon’s platform, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers is delighted, since a large number of viewers will be able to measure the issues affecting Indigenous communities in Canada. “The simple fact that these stories are told in such a comprehensive work is profoundly significant. It makes a lot of sense. »