N.S. filmmaker Jackie Torrens explores decades-old mystery in new documentary

The 2022 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival kicks off this week in Halifax, and this year's gala presentation film sets out to uncover the truth about one man’s death 50 years ago.

The documentary “Bernie Langille Wants to Know What Happened to Bernie Langille” all began with a plea for help on social media that piqued the interest of Maritime director Jackie Torrens.

“I happened to see this man, who I did not know, put out a series of tweets saying, ‘My name is Bernie Langille, I’m named after my grandfather, I never met him, he died under very mysterious circumstances 50 years ago and I’m asking the public for any help that they might have, any information, that they might have, about what happened to him,’” says Torrens.

Torrens contacted Langille right away to say she was interested in making his grandfather’s story a documentary.

Cpl. Bernie Langille died in 1968 at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick -- 15 years before his grandson, and namesake, was born. Torrens says because Langille’s family never got answers into his mysterious death they lived with pain and trauma, something that is explored in the film.

“We took Bernie to interview different medical experts that could answer the questions, some of the medical questions he had about what happened to his grandfather,” she says. “Along the way we also took him to meet different -- he knew them -- different members of his family, but he hadn’t heard their complete versions of the story, so depending on who we talked to the story changed slightly.”

Another unique element of the documentary is the use of miniature sets for re-enactments.

“It was two artists who actually live in Kentville, Nova Scotia, who created the 18 different sets used in the feature film based on the Langille family story and their names are Shelley Acker and Iris Sutherland.”

The duo was meticulous, even asking questions such as: how much did the Langilles smoke?

“That affected the paint colour on the walls, and they would add things like tiny cob webs, they would even consider how often the family might be watering the plants within their home,” says Torrens.

She adds that those details, and participation from family members, bring the story to life.

“It reminds us that even though the story is odd and bizarre and kind of interesting and mysterious, that essentially this happened to a real family and a real family was profoundly affected by it,” she says. “I think the family is grateful to have the story out there and be believed and I think they’re still processing, and I think that’s going to take some time.”

“Bernie Langille Wants to Know What Happened to Bernie Langille” will play Friday night at Cineplex Cinemas Park Lane as part of the 2022 FIN Atlantic International Film Festival gala.