Céline Roustan

Martine is going through a break up when her mother, Martine, shows up in Montreal for a visit. Both will have to finally let go of everything that has been left unsaid to find a way to connect, while they still can. Two S/W alums, Carmine Pierre-Dufour and Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers, team up to direct Fanmi, a mother/daughter drama where the silences weigh heavier than the dialogue.

“This pas de deux with two strong and nuanced female characters felt like a perfect story to translate into a short film”

An adaptation of short story Le futile et l’essentiel, by Quebecois writer Monique Proulx, the directors were drawn to this narrative because of its “mother and daughter duo who clearly love one another but struggle to communicate it”. The disconnect and profound love between the two women, which leads to a “pas de deux with two strong and nuanced female characters”, inspired writer Pierre-Dufour, who could also identify with the protagonists, to take it up a notch by making them Haitian. Brodeur-Desrosiers joined the project after being “moved by the authentic portrayal of a mother/daughter relationship in Carmine’s script”.

Marie-Evelyne Lessard (R) as Martine in Fanmi

Portraying a genuine relationship was a key motivation for the directors, with the pair revealing  that their “goal with the film was to explore the mother/daughter dynamic with nuance and authenticity”. As the film takes daughter Martine on an emotional and introspective journey that by the end will have changed the way she looks at her mother, the structure of the film almost feels like a match between the two. Through mundane conversations we get to explore their relationship, allowing us to get to know them better, as individuals, while also highlighting how they are trying to avoid the tougher conversations. 

With that in mind, the biggest challenge of bringing Fanmi to the screen comes in capturing what is unsaid, as the silences in the film take on a presence almost like a third character, which the directors get to play with. It’s during those moments that the protagonists show their true selves, and what they are genuinely feeling, from guilt to deep love. As the film progresses, and Martine increasingly wants to know why her mother arrived unannounced, the soundscape becomes more and more present, building tension until Martine finally pieces everything together.

Marie-Evelyne Lessard (L) & Mireille Metellus star in Fanmi

With a narrative that relies mostly on the nuanced bond between a mother and daughter, performances are paramount in making the film effectively convey the emotional journey of the main character. Both Marie-Evelyne Lessard (as the daughter, Martine) and Mireille Métellus (as the mother, Monique) have such a natural chemistry, that the way they interact with each other authentically echoes how such a relationship would be. The familiarity between them is almost all the exposition that’s needed, as they nail the complexities of their past, while also fleshing out their characters.

After a World Premiere at the 2021 edition of TIFF, Fanmi went on to have an admirable festival run including stops at Aspen, Palm Springs and Provincetown, where it won the ‘Best Narrative Short’ award, making it eligible for Oscar consideration. As for its creators, Pierre-Dufour is currently developing two feature films, which she plans on writing and directing with her Mahalia Melts in the Rain co-director Emilie Mannering. As for Brodeur-Desrosiers, she released her feature debut Pas d’chicane dans ma cabane! in 2022 and has a new short film Bail Bail that premiered at the 2024 edition of Regard.