La déesse des mouches à feu (2020)

1996, Chicoutimi. Catherine’s parents have a fierce argument on her 16th birthday and, some time later, end up separating, continuing to have a difficult relationship in which Catherine can’t find her place. A new circle of friends becomes the center of her world, and Catherine experiments, goes off the rails, and loses her way against the backdrop of 1990s punk rock. Although relatively faithful to the book, the film departs from it in several respects. For instance, there is no dialogue in the book, as the entire story is narrated and seen through Catherine’s perspective, whereas the film has no narration by Catherine and tells the story from the outside, through the relationships between the characters. The film’s historical setting is greatly pared back in the interest of universality, and much of the novel’s 1990s atmosphere is lost. The book begins on Catherine’s birthday and ends after her birthday the following year, which coincides with the Saguenay flood, as she returns after spending several rainy days alone in the woods with her father. At the end of the film, Catherine is instead at a chalet with her mother and father. They fall back into their conflicted dynamic, but ultimately support one another when Catherine collapses. The film ends with a reminiscence of Catherine and her friends sharing happy moments before the shock of bereavement. The flood and the annual cycle are thus omitted entirely. Finally, unlike the book, the film gives no details about Catherine’s parents’ lives. Moreover, at the end of the book, Catherine’s father and mother announce that they are each moving in with their new partners, who are completely absent from the film.