Jeanne, a young mother, asks Sheriff Galenski for help when her 9-year-old son, Caleb, goes missing. Jeanne also confesses to Galenski that she murdered her husband Adam, describing him as a bloodthirsty creature in disguise who tried to kill her. But when Adam shows up at the police station safe and sound with Caleb by his side, he tells Galenski a completely different story. According to him, Jeanne, depressed, is delusional and suffers from hallucinations . Caught in the crossfire and not knowing who to trust, Galenski will have to find out where the truth lies before a terrible tragedy occurs.
Marie Vandelannoote is a director, writer, producer and editor. She began her career in a radio station in Lyon (France) in 1996. She has been writing for television and video games for 20 years and also writes for literary magazines in France and Quebec. Her films have won more than 130 awards at festivals around the world. She currently resides in Quebec City, Canada.
Statement
In the United States, more than one-third of women have been raped or physically abused by their partners at some point in their lives. Year after year, FBI national homicide statistics show that a large proportion of women killed in the United States are murdered by their current or former intimate partners. According to the CDC, homicide is the fourth leading cause of death for girls and women ages 1 to 19, and the fifth leading cause of death for women ages 20 to 44. This means that American women are murdered in the privacy of their own homes at a staggering rate of nearly three women per day. Although men are the primary victims of homicide overall, women are most often murdered by their intimate partners or family members. Many victims are killed by current or former partners, but also by fathers, brothers, because of their role and status as women. In France, we use the word "féminicide" to describe the epidemic of women killed by men in an intimate setting. In other countries, it's called "honor killing. " When domestic violence is aimed at taking control of a spouse, it most often occurs gradually within the couple. Like a disease. A cancer. A parasite. Or, in the case of "Dead Soul," a vampire. The parallel between the toxicity that can occur within a couple's relationship and the myth of the vampire was a way to approach the subject from a new and original point of view. "Dead Soul" is inspired by a true story. Mine and unfortunately that of far too many women in the world. This script was created with the idea that something so personal is also universal. The real-life details of my own story, the real-life struggles against the monster that tried to take my life, and the fight to free my son from that grip give the movie an authenticity that I hope will make it more powerful and emotional for all kinds of people. I also believe that many women will see themselves in this struggle. The script was created in such a way that every word written was carefully considered to pay tribute to this struggle. Ultimately, I hope that the movie will help to better understand the victims of domestic violence and, in some way, pay tribute to all the women who have died fighting and, unfortunately, far too often in a deafening silence.