Since Wednesday June 26, the four episodes of the documentary “Les recluse, une famille sous influence” have been available on the MyCanal platform. Sandrine Cohen, the director, talks behind the scenes.
“It’s a story that has always fascinated me,” begins Sandrine Cohen, director of the documentary “The Recluses, a Family Under the Influence”. Available in four episodes, available on MyCanal, it traces the history of the Monflanquin recluses. “When Laetitia Recayte, the producer, offered me the documentary, I didn’t hesitate,” says the director. From 2001 to 2009, eleven members of the De Védrines family, from the Protestant aristocracy, who lived far from everything and were under the influence of a guru, Thierry Tilly.
The latter extorted no less than 4.5 million euros from them. To achieve this, the crook stirred up fears and divided the family. For two years, he became close to the De Védrines, first and foremost to Ghislaine, the only daughter of a family of two brothers: Charles-Henri and Philippe. He made himself indispensable, presenting himself as a secret agent who had come to protect them from secret societies such as the Freemasons. Knowing their lives like the back of his hand, he gained their trust.
“The basis of the documentary was the children of Charles-Henri and Ghislaine de Védrines. My starting point. In a France Télévisions program, Amaury (Charles-Henri’s son) testified, I contacted him. Finally, after several discussions, he declined,” says the director.
The family split up after this affair. “It was Sébastien Driant who put me in touch with them. His marriage to Guillemette de Védrines, Ghislaine’s daughter, marked the beginning of the story. It was the last family celebration, and seven days later, the family withdrew,” recalls Sandrine Cohen. At that point, Thierry Tilly convinced Ghislaine’s two brothers to exclude her husband, Jean Marchand, a well-known journalist.
Hours of discussions
Very quickly, the director is in contact with Guillemette. “We hit it off right away. Everything happened from there. We got on well, she sent me to her brother François. For their parents, it was more complicated. Jean, the father, accepted later when he saw his children taking part in the project.”
Once the documentary was advanced, the other branch of the family, which had initially refused, finally accepted. “It was too complicated, we were well advanced, in the end, we couldn’t add them,” says the director.
In total, for the four episodes, it took 24 days of filming, including about fifteen days of interviews. “We got about seven hours of rushes per person. The speech was free with a lot of authenticity.” Time for trust to be established. “It’s an exchange, it’s give and take and the bond is created. We will stay in touch for a long time.”
The discussions are at the center of the documentary, the testimonies punctuate the whole. Protagonists like lawyers and police officers punctuate the story. “They were very courageous and very united. As I show in the image, these ten lost years strengthened the bonds of the family. We laughed a lot with Ghislaine.”
During these exchanges, strong moments emerge. “The emotion was immense when François remembered the moment when Thierry Tilly made him believe that his father had abused his sister. It was very gripping.” All members were present to support each other.
A desire to transmit
Still marked, “they are aware that they have lost ten years of their life. Now, they move forward and live with it. Perhaps today, they live better, more free”, adds Sandrine Cohen . The deception unraveled in England, when the family was transferred there to be closer to Thierry Tilly. Notably, when Christine de Védrines, wife of Charles-Henri, started working in a restaurant. Her boss confirmed her doubts, she who suffered abuse for days.
“Ghislaine feels guilty, it was the last time she spoke,” confides Sandrine Cohen. For François Marchand, Ghislaine’s son: “Mental control is present in our society. It took me a while to take a step back, I needed to talk and share my experiences. I hope I can help by doing this.”
