Emilie (1990) — Where to Watch, Ratings & Cast | Movie Browser

period piece perfectionslow-burn melodramarural gothic

Latest Episode

Episode 20

47 min

Season 1 • Episode 20

Latest

Episode 20

Feb 28, 1991

Overview

A classic Québécois historical drama about Émilie Bordeleau, a strong-willed woman in late 19th/early 20th century rural Quebec who defies expectations by becoming a teacher, then faces challenges in her passionate but tumultuous marriage to the restless lumberjack Ovila Pronovost, exploring their struggles and the evolving society.

Content warning

19th century rural area quebec

gendered ambition vs. dutyfrozen landscapes as emotional prisoneducation as emancipationthe cost of restless masculinity

Standout Aspects

Acting

Marina Orsini's eyes carry entire suppressed novels

Cinematography

Quebec winter as beautiful suffocation

Costume

Wool and want layered against the cold

Best for:Solo·Binge·Rewatch

Heads up:Emotional·Triggers

Creator

Jean Beaudin

First AiredOct 18, 1990

StatusEnded

Vibe

Paceslow

Intensitymedium

Tonedark

Feelheavy

Seasons1·Episodes20

Top Cast

Marina Orsini

Émilie Bordeleau

Roy Dupuis

Ovila Pronovost

Vincent Bolduc

Napoléon Bordeleau

Germain Houde

Caleb Bordeleau

Johanne-Marie Tremblay

Célina Bordeleau

Véronique Le Flaguais

Félicité Pronovost

Pierre Curzi

Dosithée Pronovost

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Cultural

Based on Pierre-Yves Pelletier's novel, this became a touchstone for Québécois identity debates in the 1990s — rural nostalgia vs. feminist reckoning.

Trivia

Roy Dupuis was 27 playing restless lumberjack Ovila; he'd later become Québécois cinema's definitive symbol of troubled masculinity in 'Les Amants du Pont-Neuf' and 'Maurice Richard'.

Gallery