Au cœur de la rose (Généalogie d’une tristesse)

The story takes place on an island in the gulf, where the Father, Mother, and Daughter live, far away from the city’s hustle and bustle. One stormy day, the river spits out a schooner from which a captain and a sailor disembark. For the Daughter, they represent the dream of new horizons and the possibility of escaping her island destiny. But everything conspires against her desire: the forces of inertia, the legacy of sadness, and the intractable nature of the Father, custodian of the lighthouse and keeper of tradition.

Driven by his fascination for the innermost parts of our selves, Montreal director Jérémie Niel tackles Pierre Perrault’s play from the late 1950s with mythic undertones on a stripped-down stage with striking video images and soundscapes. Through the power of theatre, six exceptional actors bring to life the distinctive vernacular and timeless resonance of filmmaker Perrault’s Au cœur de la rose.

Produced by Pétrus
Written by Pierre Perrault (Lux Éditeur)
Adapted and directed by Jérémie Niel
Co-creative Director Ariane Lamarre
Performed by Evelyne de la Chenelière + Marine Johnson + Marco Poulin + Sébastien Ricard + Nahéma Ricci + Émile Schneider
Sound Design Sylvain Bellemare + Ariane Lamarre
Video Design Karl Lemieux
Set and Lighting Design Cédric Delorme-Bouchard
Costume Design Léonie Blanchet
Music Cédric Dind-Lavoie + Christophe Papadimitriou
Props Marie-Pier Jacques
Hair and Make-up Véronique St-Germain
Video integration Dominique Hawry
Sound and microphones Gabrielle Couillard
Intern Raoul Sanchez
Production Manager Mathilde Boudreau
Technical Director Rébecca Brouillard
Administrative Director and development Kevin Bergeron
Communications Ariane Fontaine
Seagull design and construction Sophie St-Pierre

Film Crew
Director of photography Mathieu Laverdière
Camera Assistant Erin Weisgerber
Editing Guillaume Marin-Lafond

Co-produced by Festival TransAmériques + National Arts Center Théâtre français (Ottawa)
Support for surtitling Cole Foundation

Presented in association with Espace Libre

Special thanks to Frédéric Lord

Written by Sara Fauteux
Translated by David Dalgleish

Premiered at Festival TransAmériques, on May 25, 2024

The piece Veillée sur cordes contains an archive of Harry Poitras (fiddle and podorythmy) collected by Conrad Laforte on July 15, 1955 in Baie-Sainte-Catherine, Charlevoix, QC. Courtesy of the Archives de folklore et d’ethologie de l’Université Laval.

The piece Reel à bouche contains an archive of Benoît Benoît (voice and podorythmy) collected by Roger Matton and Félix-Antoine Savard on July 3, 1957 in Tracadie, Gloucester, N.B. Courtesy of the Archives de folklore et d’ethologie de l’Université Laval.