Family, filiation and transmission in Quebec cinema
The family has undergone major transformations since the 1960s, with the main differences being fewer children per family and multiple forms of parenting. In that context, the norms and values that formerly governed family relations are poorly suited to contemporary realities, with new ones slow to emerge and manifest. In this article, I analyze how families and filiation are portrayed in Quebec fiction cinema, which, like any narrative genre, both reflects and shapes the imaginary and practices of society. To capture the permanencies and inflections of these family stories, I rely on a body of some 150 films from Quebec fiction (1966–2013). The relationship between fathers and their children are marked by conflict, which often finds a precarious resolution, while those between mothers and their children tend to remain unspoken, silent and irresolute. The alliance is distinct from parenting, while the exercise of parenting, for its part, is distinct from social norms and roles. The relationships between brothers and sisters are governed by a strong sense of obligation. Through it all, families increasingly face precarious conditions, paving the way for a restructuring of identities, norms and values.