Thérèse Raquin de Montréal is the adaptation of the 1868 French Novel Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola. Instead of taking place in 19th century Paris, the story is written in 21st century Old Montreal. The screenplay stays loyal to the original story, with all the characters’ names identically the same or modernized to fit the contemporary version. The backstory had to be tweaked and events adjusted to create a plausible account and a believable story for a drama with a modern-day world setting.
Logline Two adulterous lovers escape the justice system for murdering her husband but must suffer their self-imposed consequences created through guilt in their own tumultuous and tragic marriage.
Synopsis The story takes place in present-day Old Montreal, Canada. The script uses the same names for the characters from the original novel of Emile Zola from 1868 but modernizes the plot to translate the 19th-century storyline to fit the 21st century way of life. This setting keeps the old French charm to the story and makes English-speaking characters plausible.
The screenplay starts with a young couple is interested in purchasing a stigmatized property, Café de Madame Raquin. The realtor then starts from the beginning to tell the tale of Thérèse Raquin and how the site of a double homicide has haunted this location. Madame Raquin, a widow, moves from a rural country cottage to Montreal to open a cafe. She has a son Camille and her niece Thérèse that she raised from a young child. Camille and Thérèse suffer from abused person syndrome due to the sheltered, cloistered lifestyle, including homeschooling, that created two socially awkward and naive adults. When they are old enough, Thérèse and Camille marry as it helps Madame Raquin to keep control of them both this way.
Madame Raquin purchased a cafe/pastry shop in Old Montreal that has rooms to live above it. Thérèse is resigned to her dull life with her disgusting husband and slaving in the kitchen of the Cafe. Camille finds a job as a clerk at the Montreal Courthouse, within walking distance. On Thursdays, Madame Raquin entertains a few friends. Laurent, a friend of Camille from work, starts visiting the family regularly. Laurent is as interested in Madame Raquin's money as he is in Thérèse. Laurent kisses Thérèse the first chance he gets alone with her, beginning a passionate love affair. They long for Camille to be gone so that they can be together and plan to kill him. Thérèse, Laurent, and Camille take an outing on Nun's Island, where Laurent throws Camille from a canoe, and he drowns. The lovers are haunted by Camille and need to get married to get rid of these nightmares. When Thérèse's mourning period is over, the couple succeeds in getting Madame's blessing to be married, and she signs her life savings over to her niece.
The nightmare of their wedding night is a precursor to their marriage. The corpse of Camille always comes between them. Madame Raquin has a stroke and becomes speechless and paralyzed. This makes it impossible for her to report them when she finds out that they killed her beloved son Camille. They have a volatile marriage and mistreat Madame, although the Thursday night friends never suspect it. Finally, Thérèse and Laurent, overwhelmed with guilt, decide to kill each other. Laurent and Thérèse both drink poison and die at Madame Raquin's feet. The story ends with the present day couple buying the Café de Madame Raquin as they are taken by the tragic love story.