Motel Paradis
| Motel Paradis | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Paradise Motel |
| Genre | Crime drama |
| Screenplay by | Sophie Deraspe, Stéphane Hogue |
| Directed by | Sophie Deraspe |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Frannie Holder |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language | French |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Véronique Jacob, Brigitte Lemonde |
| Cinematography | Mathieu Laverdière |
| Editor | Dominique Champagne |
| Production company | Zone3 |
| Original release | |
| Network | Club Illico |
| Release | October 11, 2022 |
Motel Paradis (English: Paradise Motel) is a Canadian television crime drama series, which was broadcast on Club Illico from October 11, 2022.[1][2] Its six episodes are directed by Sophie Deraspe, who co-wrote the screenplay with Stéphane Hogue.[3] It stars Nahéma Ricci as Jen, who believes her teen sister Noémie (Vivi-Anne Riel) did not die by suicide, three years earlier. Jen returns to her village of Val-Paradis and is assisted by retired police detective, Alain (Stéphane Gagnon). The series is set in rural Quebec. It was streamed via Australia's SBS on Demand from August 2024.[4]
Premise
[edit]In 2021, Jen has a near-death experience, which results in visions of her missing sister, Noémie. Jen returns to her rural village of Val-Paradis with former police detective, Alain to resolve the mystery of Noémie's disappearance in 2018. Jen's mother, Brigitte resides in the family's now-defunct Motel Paradis. Jen and Noémie had both been cleaners there before Noémie's disappearance. Fellow locals are mostly closed-mouthed and uncooperative. Jen encounters her former boyfriend, Simon. Bar manager, William employs Jen as a bar attendant. Local police boss, Patrick is ineffectual. He had determined that Noémie drowned by suicide, but her body was never recovered. Alain and Jen learn that the motel's best room was fitted with a spy camera, which recorded sexual activities of various clients, especially musician, Carl. Amateur porn videos filmed by that camera have appeared on the dark web for pay-per-view. The website was created by Simon, Carl and William as a money-making scheme.
Alain re-investigates Noémie's quad bike, which shows yellow paint from a school bus. He finds a black painted bus in the local scrapyard, with its lower layer matching the bike. Another local police officer, Éviva joins Alain's private investigation. Once Simon is revealed as the camera's installer and video editor, he is shunned by locals. Simon grabs Patrick's gun and shoots himself dead. Montreal-based detective Geneviève undertakes the investigation of Simon's death and appoints Éviva as assistant. Jen finds Simon's computer, which includes some of the hotel camera's videos. She initially suspects Carl, but Brigitte admits that Carl is Noémie's biological father. Geneviève and Éviva discover Simon's hard disc and a cryptocurrency thumb drive. A hotel video shows William's father, Jean buying illegal weapons. Three years ago, William told Jean, who learnt details of his son's scheme. Jean bashed Carl unconscious.
Cast and characters
[edit]- Nahéma Ricci as Jen Paradis: bar attendant, Noémie's older sister
- Stéphane Gagnon as Alain Renaud: retired police detective
- Isabelle Guérard as Brigitte Paradis: Jen, Noémie's mother; motel owner, recovering alcoholic
- Vivi-Anne Riel as Noémie Paradis: Jen's 14-year-old sister, presumed drowned three years earlier
- Rémi Goulet as Simon Lapierre: Jen's ex-boyfriend; Stephanie's partner, wood cutter
- Guillaume Laurin as William Richard: bar manager, Simon's friend
- Martin Dubreuil as Patrick Nelson: local police officer
- Larissa Corriveau as Pauline "Polo" Ouellet: falconer, sells catalytic converters
- Chanel Mings as Éviva Phelps: recent police recruit, takes over Alain's investigation
- Dominique Quesnel as Julie Richard: Val-Paradis mayor, William's aunt, Jean's sister, former realtor
- Pierre Yves Charbonneau as Daniel Paquette: mechanic, tow truck driver
- Elisapie Isaac as Sabrina Bérubé-Caron: psychic adviser, Nathan's mother
- Anick Lemay as Mireille Richard: Jean's wife, William, Ulysse's mother
- Lucas DiTecco as Ulysse Richard: Mireille's son, intellectually impaired
- Gildor Roy as Jean Richard: prominent businessman, bar owner; Mireille's husband, William, Ulysse's father
- Alice Pascual as Geneviève Hernandez: Alain's wife, detective inspector
- Édouard Tremblay-Grenier as Nathan Bérubé-Caron: Noémie's drummer, school friend
- Éric Robidoux as Carl Gagnon: part-time musician, former amateur porn star
- Romane Denis as Stéphanie: Simon's partner, Jen's former best friend
- Dany Boudreault as Alexandre: riverbank property owner, Michel's partner
- Eric Cabana as Michel: riverbank property owner, Alexandre's partner
- Jean Drolet as Maurice: Jen's great uncle, scrapyard owner
- Isabelle Myre Lacase as Jocelyn: junior local police officier
- Louise Bombardier as Madeleine "Mado": Jen's great aunt, scrapyard owner
References
[edit]- ^ Bertrand, Caroline (October 27, 2022). "Cinz raisons d'enbarquer dans la série ≪Motel Paradis≫" [Five reasons to embark on the Motel Paradis series]. journalmetro.com (in French). Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Cloutier, Jean Francois. "Motel Paradis: une bande-annonce pour la nouvelle série de Club illico - TVQC" [Motel Paradis: A Trailer for the New Club illico Series]. TVQC (in French). Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Dumas, Hugo (October 22, 2022). "Motel Paradis | Mystérieux motel monstre miteux" [Motel Paradis | Mysterious seedy monster motel]. La Presse (in French). Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Morris, Anthony (August 15, 2024). "Murder and mystery are just two of the guests at Paradise Motel | SBS What's On". SBS-TV. Retrieved November 7, 2024.