Fragile (2019)

Félix (Marc-André Grondin) and Dom (Pier-Luc Funk) are dead. Zipped up in body bags, the two men and their tragic fate will unfold over the five months before their deaths. Félix comes from a family of prestige; his mother, Mireille (Isabelle Vincent), is running for public office in their township, and his stepfather Jean Charles (Christian Bégin), owns a profitable paper company. Dom’s working-class family includes his mother, Cynthia (Sandrine Bisson), Uncle Patrick or Bazou (Martin Drainville) and his aunt Nancy (Valerie Blais). They are a tight-knit unit, and Cynthia and Nancy own a restaurant where Dom’s girlfriend Kim (Juliette Gosselin) works. Bazou is Jean-Charles’ driver, and he connects the two families.

The young men have protective circles around them. Félix has had a difficult past, and after his stint in jail, his parents think he’s fragile. He’s 35 and ready to start his life over, but he can’t catch a break due to his reputation. The younger Dom loves his family dearly but shares a secret with his mother that no one knows. When Dom and Felix strike up a secret friendship, their fates are forever entwined.

With long-time TV director Claude Desrosiers behind the camera and TV series writer Serge Boucher penning the story, Fragile‘s slow-burn approach to storytelling makes this show bingeable. Following these two young men with different experiences and knowing what happens right off the bat, this Quebec production combines a soap opera feel with a gripping mystery full of secrets as we look to the past for answers.