Elles étaient cinq

The Five of Us is a Québécois drama film, distributed by Remstar Distribution and Remstar Films. The film was directed and co-written by Ghyslaine Côté, and stars Jacinthe Laguë, Julie Deslauriers, Ingrid Falaise, Brigitte Lafleur, and Noémi Yelle. It premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 26, 2004, opened in theaters on August 27, 2004, and on DVD in February, 2005. The film follows four girls who strive to move on from the murder of their friend and the horrors of their past once they discover the man behind their trauma, Richard Thibodeau, is said to be granted conditional release from prison. Plot Manon (Jacinthe Laguë), Anne (Julie Deslauriers), Isa (Ingrid Falaise), Claudie (Brigitte Lafleur), and Sophie (Noemie Yelle) are all childhood friends. Ever since they were children, they would spend time at Sophie's cottage in Montreal. The five girls, now at the age of 17, return to the cottage as they have permission from their parents to spend the weekend on their own. The girls plan to host a party during the absence of their parents. Manon and Sophie depart to pick up groceries in preparation of the party. They do not have access to a car, so they decide to hitchhike with a stranger. Manon quickly develops a romantic interest for the stranger, while Sophie remains suspicious of his behavior. The party has begun, but Manon and Sophie have yet to return. The girls are having a blast, while Anne is worried about the safety of Manon and Sophie. Eventually, Isa takes a rowboat out with a boy in hopes to get some privacy. As the rowboat approaches land, Isa discovers Manon in the forest, stabbed and covered in blood. Sophie is missing. The boy brings Manon to safety, while Isa runs off to find Sophie. 15 years have passed since the incident. Manon is working as an administrator for a large firm. She expresses no interest in staff outings, nor does she express romantic interests towards men. She also avoids taking the elevator with any men, hence being uncomfortable in private places with them. Stéphane (Sylvain Carrier) enters the scene and invites Manon on a date, to which Manon accepts on the condition of being in a public space. Manon also refuses him from staying at her place for the night. Several days pass, and Manon begins to develop an intimate relationship with Stéphane. Manon drives into a car wash, and recognizes the stranger that was responsible for her traumatic experience.