Fanmi

Fanmi is a short film freely adapted from Monique Proulx’ short story “Le futile et l’essentiel”, the premise of which centers on a voluble mother from a small town visiting her cerebral daughter now living in Montreal. Recognizing some elements of her own relationship with her mother in this dynamic, the writer, Carmine, took ownership of the story by transposing it into an immigrant Haitian family. In fact, the word “fanmi” means ” family” in creole.

Also moved by this mother/daughter duo, Sandrine joined the project as co-director. Together, we wished to portray, with nuance and authenticity, a complex relationship where unconditional love doesn’t necessarily enable communication.

In terms of form, we had the desire to explore the long silences, the impatient glances, and the empathic looks exchanged between the two characters to better reveal what isn’t being said. We, therefore, opted for a naturalist style of storytelling that doesn’t shy away from unspoken moments.

We were also looking to depict Martine’s growing concern about the real motive behind her mother’s visit. To do so, we decided to introduce a dream-like element; a small pinkish light, accompanied by an evocative soundscape, subtly takes up more and more space throughout the film.

With the help of these cinematic devices, we hope to convey to viewers the invisible bond that links Martine and Monique, a powerful bond that ultimately doesn’t require words to be expressed.