Three Pines by Amazon Prime Video is headed by renowned veteran British actor Alfred Molina (Spider-Man: No Way Home) who plays Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, a character hailing from detective novels authored by Louise Penny. Gamache is a member of the Sûreté du Québec and investigates homicides in the countryside village of Three Pines, located in Quebec Canada. There are four murders divided into 8 episodes, still, the parallel investigation of a missing Indigenous young woman drives the whole series.

Gamache leads the team composed of detectives Isabelle Lacoste (Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers), Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Rossif Sutherland) and Agent Yvette Nichol (Sarah Booth), the latter is very competent as the comic relief. The main cast is rounded by the villagers: cultural curator Bea Mayer (Tantoo Cardinal), writer Ruth Zardo (Clare Coulter), painter Clara Morrow (Anna Tierney) and choir singer Crie (Roberta Battaglia).

The series is more focused on solving crimes through the intelligence and detective skills of the team than applying gratuitous violence, still, it is gripping on how it deals with trauma and the mental health of the characters, in particular Indigenous peoples’ pain.

It not only touches on the issue of missing Indigenous women but the drama of the secluded Canadian Indian Residential Schools for Indigenous children that would take them away from their communities and force European values, as also physical and psychological punishment on them.

HBO’s ‘Watchmen’ (2019) and ‘Lovecraft Country’ (2020) employed works of fiction to highlight the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and the carnage that destroyed those Black lives. Three Pines in a similar way brings to the audiences the real horror that are the ‘Canadian Indian Residential Schools.’

A government-funded structure that owns the abhorrent estimation of having between 3,200 to 6,00 students dead on its premises while having forced more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children in its program between the 1870s and 1997.

Only last year, Pope Francis acknowledged the role of the Catholic church in a system that promoted trauma, abuse and genocide while also having a policy of assimilation and enfranchisement that undermined the languages, cultures and philosophies of Indigenous folks. But Indigenous pain is not something relegated just to the past.

In the series the disappearance of Indigenous girl Blue Two-Rivers (Anna Lambe) shows how Canadian law enforcement can be neglectful and even abusive towards Indigenous lives and the backlash that leaves their families asunder, here played by Georgia Lightning, Crystle Lightning and Isabel Deroy-Olson. A pain that is also shared by Mayer as the talented veteran Tantoo Cardinal (‘Dance With Wolves’ (1990) and ‘Legends of the Fall’) expresses sorrow in her acting through anxious eyes alternating with a paused speech, one of the best interpreters of a well-rounded ensemble.

Another positive aspect of the show is having an Indigenous detective solving the case as happens with Lacoste, which justifies how painful for Tailfeathers the axing of the show was as pointed out on her Instagram, because it is not only a shot for an Indigenous woman to play the lead but also to tell nuanced Indigenous stories. The show also gained a lot by having among its directors, the Mohawk community member Tracey Deer who brings an authentical view to the forefront.

The series also deals with other dark subjects such as suicide, parental neglect, police corruption, addiction and so on, without trying to lecture. In the world of ‘Three Pines’ the psychological burdens can be as harmful as physical violence and even law enforcement agents like Gamache and Lacoste are susceptible to them. Three Pines doesn’t fall into the entrapment of forgetting the entertaining aspects to the series, however, it rightly focuses on the ordeals of those who are wronged be they Indigenous or non-Indigenous peoples. Aesthetically, Three Pines has strong cinematography, showing how ‘dark’ and dangerous days of snow can be and how a bucolic scenario can hide dangerous spots with lighting and camera angles. Although cancelled, Three Pines should be seen as an interesting series of detective procedurals that has a legacy of bringing to the spotlight the lives of those who not long ago were just there to be shot by cowboys; in Three Pines they are seen as complex and layered individuals just like any other character.

Also Read: City of God: 20 Years Later

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Today, we will analyse the common elements of murder mystery films, how the genre has changed over time, how the detective archetype has contributed to the genre’s popularity, and provide you with some great mystery films to watch.

Making A Murder Mystery

Generally, a murder mystery focuses on the investigation of a murder/series of murders, committed during the opening act. A detective (professional/private/amateur), or someone else, will try to solve the case. Throughout the story evidence about the killer’s motives and identity is compiled through crime scene examinations and hearing testimony from the supporting cast, (with several red-herrings trying to fool the audience). The film will end with the killer’s/killers’ identity being revealed. Chiefly the genre invites audiences to guess the murderer’s identity, using the evidence before the reveal.

The Little Things

Despite the genre’s common narrative elements still being prominent, not everything remains the same. The murder mystery formula has been used to tell many different stories in different styles since its inception. From period adaptations of Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie’s work to seedy film noirs, fluffy comedic capers, spectacular action thrillers, disgusting horror thrillers, giallos, and more. It’s a genre that has proven it can be used to tell any story. 

And the genre has continually updated itself. Not just by using increasingly modern crime-solving techniques and technology in their stories, but also by changing its attitudes and content. For example, after the release of Psycho, based on Ed Gein’s crimes, the genre began to further explore the killer’s mindset and the impact of their crimes. This, coupled with censorship relaxation, led to a greater emphasis on violence, sex, and psychological analysis. Making the genre feel more true to life. The genre has equally been willing to critique and break its own rules. Sometimes films will have the killer not be caught or identified and even the detectives have been shown as villainous or corrupt, again making the genre feel more real.

This infinite malleability with such a simple formula allows creatives a huge canvas to play with. And it gives audiences something comfortably familiar but never wholly the same. It’s easy to understand why the genre has stuck around. 

Poirot to Blanc

Interestingly the new wave of cinematic whodunit’s use of the detective exemplifies the genre’s comforting familiarity while also being modern in its implementation.

Investigators like Hercule Poirot (Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022)), Benoit Blanc (Knives Out), and Inspector Stoppard (See How They Run) feel like classic gentlemen sleuths and hard-boiled detectives. They have their familiar attitudes, as well as the star power expected from the genre. Kenneth Branagh, Daniel Craig, and Sam Rockwell play each character respectively. And they serve as our good-humoured guides through the investigation. Allowing us to not become overwhelmed by the murder’s morbidity.

But these figures also offer a lot to modern audiences. Poirot and Blanc offer an authoritative figure not tied in with the bad practices of the police. Which has received understandable derision lately. They are also a lot more sympathetic when listening to the perspectives of suspects. For example, Blanc ultimately helps Marta to prove her innocence. Both offer relief from concerns about policing. And while Stoppard is a police detective his surly nature shows that this life is not a happy one. Thus some can argue acting as a critique of the detective role.

Ultimately the use of familiar genre staples for whodunit detectives allows audiences to easily become invested with the mystery. But they can also serve as a great springboard to tackle many different questions about our relationship with the law. Thus giving audiences more to engage with.

And Then There Were Many

To conclude our look into the murder mystery genre here are some great examples for you to watch:

Historical: The Hound of The Baskervilles (1939)

Contemporary: Knives Out

Noir: The Third Man

Neo-Noir: Memento

Giallo: Don’t Torture A Duckling

True Crime: Zodiac

Also Read: Seven Creative Movies Dealing With Memory Loss

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