The former castle of Céline Dion’s family on Gagnon Island, in Laval, becomes the scene of a powerful psychological thriller. Series In Memoriam delves into the trauma inflicted on a family by a perverse, manipulative and violent father, who maintains his control over his heirs even after his death.
We come away with sweaty palms from watching the first two episodes of the series, which premieres Thursday, March 28 on Crave. An oppressive atmosphere hangs in the three-story mansion where the four children of the wealthy businessman Paul-Émile de Léry (Bruno Marcil) are invited.
The patriarch has just died. His faithful right-hand man, the dark Léo (Martin Drainville), will dictate to the guests how to proceed in order to receive their share of the $84 million inheritance. They will find that their father, whom they disowned, is even more twisted than they thought. He imagined a series of tests to which the four children (and two other heirs) must submit to collect the loot.
“We go down one step at a time to the heart of the evil that is plaguing this family,” says Pierre-Marc Drouin, who had the idea for this completely crazy family story. He is supported by the screenplay by Pascale Renaud-Hébert, with the participation of Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard.
An infinite sadness resides in these heirs, and it is not because of the grief caused by the death of their father. They literally tremble at the idea of returning to the places of their childhood marked by the terror imposed on the whole family by this toxic character. Their mother even left her skin there. Murder or suicide? We’ll know after 8 episodes.
“I am fascinated by the relationship we sometimes have with our childhood,” says Pierre-Marc Drouin. “Through a phenomenon of regression, when you are faced with the triggers of a trauma, you return to being the person you were when this trauma happened. »
For an informed public
The series is carried by a high-level cast, who brilliantly embody the tormented heirs. We suffer while witnessing the torture of Lucile (Evelyne Brochu), Mathieu (Éric Bruneau), Judith (Catherine Brunet) and Julien (Jean-Simon Leduc), mired in the wounds of their youth.
This drama is not for toddlers: scenes of violence against children and dogs, although filmed with finesse and nuance, may upset sensitive souls. Obviously, no living being, human or animal, was mistreated during filming — on the contrary, the watchword was kindness — but the emotional charge of certain scenes is very heavy.
The young actors who play the four heirs in their childhood were accompanied by a “playing coach” whose mission was to ensure their well-being. A disturbing scene of confrontation with their crazy father, at the end of the second episode, challenged the film crew. It can be traumatic to play such harsh slices of life.
“At one point we said, ‘Should we stop the scene?’ The coach said yes, we have to stop it. The children reacted by saying “Yes, that’s fine, that’s the fun, we like that !” », says Félix Tétreault, who directed the series with Marie-Claude Blouin.
A sinister castle
Filming took place in the fall of 2023. The former Laval castle of the Dion family, sold in 2016 for a confidential sum – the asking price was $25.5 million – has become a sinister and gloomy place. , which gives you the scares just by approaching it. At times, we say to ourselves that the atmosphere would be more joyful in a funeral home.
“It was impressive to film in that mansion. It’s so vast that you could get lost,” says Patrick Martin, content producer.
The misery of these ultra-rich cruelly illustrates that money does not buy happiness. Deep down, the heirs ofIn Memoriam do not seek so much to cash in the jackpot as to strengthen the weakened links with their siblings. “They are sucked in despite themselves” into the spiral that will threaten to destroy them, underlines the co-director.
Some characters, but not all, will eventually see the light. They will first have to go through a series of reality TV-style tests, designed to break them mentally and physically. Even six feet underground, the father has a boundless talent for playing in the minds of his heirs. And to keep viewers deep in their seats, biting their nails.