Danielle Trottier has the gift of taking us to the heart of sensitive, little-known universes, where nuances make the difference. We had empathy for the women of theunit 9. Care of teenage girls The whole life. Each time, the frames were as rich as they were uncomfortable. Each time the author managed to confront us with a reality in which judgment became impossible.
This time she deals with a sensitive, topical and tough topic. In an environment in which limits are no longer tested, but set. She takes a look at domestic violence, which is all too often experienced in silence and intimacy. With À cœur beating we find Christophe L’Allier (Roy Dupuis), whose mission is to equip and rehabilitate these men, and Gabrielle Laflamme (Ève Landry), a Crown prosecutor with no half measures. If their means are different, their mission is common. Any violent gesture is one too many. Impossible for the viewer to be insensitive to it.
Photo provided by Julie Perreault
Danielle Trotier
When did the idea of continuing with Christophe L’Allier in an organization for violent men come about?
It was present without being conscious. In All Life, Christophe already volunteered with an organization. The family history he has today he had 5 years ago. I saw tremendous potential to delve into the heart of violence, but I had focused my research and approach on teenage pregnancy. It was director Jean-Philippe Duval who immediately thought of Roy. His experience became more and more relevant. In 2019 I became interested in Estates General on Homes for Abused Women. As a woman, as a human being, it was necessary for me to speak about it beyond the headlines that we see.
It’s a touchy subject. Was it risky to give the floor to men?
A man arrested for grievous bodily harm goes to jail, gets a ban on contact when he’s released, and starts again. How many times have we seen this? I had to go to the producers of violence. I wanted to see why they give themselves these rights, these permissions. We must help women, that’s for sure. But we must also help those who produce this violence. I’m not talking about gangsterism. I’m talking about what happens privately, in families. I wanted to see the problem as a whole, to show people who encounter violence. I do it for women. It was scary to look that way, but it was important to understand. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell when it’s bullying and when it’s violence. Also for those who do.
Have the sad events of the past year influenced your writing?
I didn’t want to go in the direction of femicides. There are so many women who suffer without denouncing for fear of losing custody of their child, their home. It’s not easy to go “easy”. Christophe is associated with his company. He can say anything we think. He never gets on my nerves. He puts difficult things into words. And Gabrielle comes to the counterbalance as well. For them, getting angry keeps you alive. Violent men have a verbal, financial, and psychological impact on women who become mute. Over time we forget the borders. I reversed the behavior of my characters. This is where anger can be a strength and set clear boundaries.
Was it important to show multiple archetypes?
Charlène experienced moments of great intensity with Yoan. He was loving, he is a good father. He’s not just the one who hit her. I don’t think he liked himself when he lost control. Violence has so many facets that I had to individualize them. Marcel is from another time. Today there are new frontiers. In Bert’s case, he’s an excellent cop. His commander says he is only violent to his wife and that he is good to others. Why be violent with someone you love? I’m trying to go where we never go. I learn a lot.
There are very intense scenes. Do you sometimes need to clear your head while writing?
My emotions, I live them before and after and not while writing. If I sit down, it’s technical. It is a task to organize a reality so that it works. It’s not the emotions that drive the writing, it’s the attention I give to the characters, from worst to best.
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