Women mistreated, even savagely killed by men simply because they are women: two new documentary series look at the many cases of feminicide that have marked Quebec in recent years and the different faces of domestic violence.
In Woman I kill you, broadcast on Investigation starting next week, the stories of Clémence Beaulieu-Patry, Marylène Levesque, Sonia Raymond, Milia Abrar, Francine Bissonnette, Jaël Cantin, Josiane Arguin and Véronique Barbe are brought to the screen. Rather their murder, in fact, perpetrated by a violent spouse, a casual acquaintance or sometimes even a complete stranger.
“What unites them, all these men, is that they feel justified in killing a woman because they are men. […] Femicide is a problem that takes place over time, a chronic problem in our society, ”director Mariane McGraw dropped at a press conference this week.
It is out of the question, however, to put these murderers at the center of the story. Each episode of the docuseries, which has eight, is rather a tribute to these women who died tragically. “Because we have no right to forget them”, as the host Ingrid Falaise repeats so well at the start of each program.
She is the one who goes to meet the relatives of the victims — parents, friends, friends — to collect their memories, sometimes decades later. We see in particular testify for the first time the mother of Marylène Levesque, this young woman of 22 years violently murdered in 2020 in a hotel room in Quebec.
“This is by far the most emotional series I’ve had to host. Going to meet relatives who have chosen to open their homes, their hearts, their horror, their pain to me, it touches me immensely”, confides, moved, Ingrid Falaise.
The episodes are also accompanied by archival footage and interviews with experts, collected by criminal affairs researcher Sarah Bernard, in order to trace the thread of events that will lead to the murder, the investigation and the trial. We thus mix, in a “unique” way, it is said, the traditional codes of the documentary series with those of the detective series.
“It was a great challenge, recognizes for her part Sarah Bernard. These are stories that are hard to hear, harder still to tell. But it was our mission to expose the different faces of this violence against women. »
Because talking about feminicide means talking a lot about domestic violence, yes, but also “sexual assault, misogyny, sexual exploitation and honor killings”, adds Ingrid Falaise. It is also an opportunity for everyone to ask themselves “how can we help to stop all this violence against women?” »
The team hopes that the docuseries will open the discussion and raise awareness about this scourge, that it will allow people to recognize “the different signs of violence” and will push them “to intervene”.
Foray Journalism
It is essentially the same motivations that led to the production of the docuseries Not one more by Ève Lamont and also broadcast starting next week, this time on ICI RDI.
This time, we are voluntarily moving away from feminicide, which hits the headlines the most. “That’s the tip of the iceberg. For every woman murdered or savagely assaulted, there are thousands of women who suffer in silence from “small” domestic violence, “said Yves Thériault, content producer, at a press conference this week.
This “little domestic violence”, he calls it “sneaky”. It is verbal, psychological or economic. She does not kill women, but she “destroys them little by little”.
To help the victims — and their relatives — to recognize it, and especially to get out of it, Not one more therefore offers an immersion in shelters for women victims of domestic violence. We follow several workers, such as Mélanie or Georgia, in their daily work.
“It is not in our habits to open our doors. [C’était] to demystify what shelters are. The welcome women receive, our benevolent, non-judgmental approach. […] If, through all of this, we were able to reassure one or two women that they are capable, that they can call, that there are resources for them, we have really accomplished our mission, “said Georgia at a press conference.
Due to the “great fragility” of these women in accommodation, the filming was “complex”, recognizes director Ève Lamont. For security reasons, it was necessary to ensure the anonymity of each of them. The challenges related to the pandemic have also added their share of complications.
“These women are in constant turmoil. They are at the heart of many issues: security, custody and the fear of living the consequences of participating in this docuseries”, underlines Mélanie.
One thing is certain, it was the role of Radio-Canada, as a public service, to tackle these questions head-on, believes for her part Luce Julien, director general of information for French Services. “We have done so many reports, all the media, on the issue of domestic violence. But here we see it. […] This incursion journalism approach speaks a lot, it speaks more than numbers, more than any report. »