Filmmaker from P.E.I. explores dark mystery in documentary

Islander Jackie Torrens is working on a film project that digs into the past, and attempts to solve a family's decades-old mystery.

Over the weekend, Torrens screened the first, short version of her documentary Bernie Langille Wants To Know Who Killed Bernie Langille during the Charlottetown Film Festival. 

It tells the story of a man looking into the mysterious circumstances of the death of the grandfather he is named after.

"Bernie Langille Jr. grew up with this story, kind of like a dark family fairytale, and has been trying to kind of fill in the gaps of what he doesn't know," Torrens said.

'Surreal, bizarre story'

Torrens says Bernie Langille Sr. worked on the military base at CFB Gagetown, in New Brunswick. In 1968, he had friends over for drinks, and his wife, Annie, went to bed early, with Bernie saying he would drive his friends home.

"Then Annie Langille wakes up in the middle of the night, turns on the lamp, and she's in bed with her husband beside her and his head is smashed in," Torrens said.

She says Bernie Langille Sr. died in a Halifax hospital two days later. She says no one has ever been charged in his death, and his family has been trying to figure out what happened. 

In her documentary, Torrens recreates scenes — with the help of artists.

She partnered with miniaturists who constructed small models of the home and military bases, which she uses to reconstruct the story of what happened five decades ago. 

"Because this is a story that, like I said, Bernie kind of grew up with as a dark fable, the use of miniatures lends an atmospheric tone to kind of the surreal, bizarre story that he grew up with," Torrens said.

Plans for longer documentary

Over the course of making the documentary, Torrens says Langille Jr. was able to find some answers — but also more questions.

She says he is continuing to work on the story, and hopes to complete a feature length documentary. 

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With files from Mainstreet P.E.I.