“You see, here, there are no men, no women. There are only souls.”

In Jacmel, Haiti, the sea, churches, and spirits shape daily life. Marie Madeleine (Géssica Généus) is a free woman. She makes her living through prostitution and navigates the nights without submitting to the rules of those who save souls. Her path crosses that of Joseph (Béonard Monteau), a young evangelist. A connection forms between these two beings who are polar opposites. As Joseph’s faith wavers, Marie Madeleine draws him into a world where desire and the quest for freedom open up a space where everything can be reinvented.

With Marie Madeleine, Géssica Généus offers a revision of the biblical story uniting Jesus and Mary Magdalene, providing another way of looking at this history.

Representation

Mary Magdalene is a woman battered by life. She turns her body into an instrument, drowns herself in alcohol, and offers pleasure to men while hiding a razor blade between her teeth. She is capable of both self-destruction and sudden bursts of vitality. She can lose faith in herself, then pick herself up and find faith in another. In this sense, she reflects Haiti, a country whose people manage to survive injustices that defy description.

Joseph, for his part, lives in a straitjacket. He suffers from being the scapegoat upon whom his father, Jacques, vents his rage. Through him, the director questions the idea of freedom—a freedom constantly called into question.

Haiti Through the Bible

Marie Madeleine opens with an outstretched hand—Joseph’s—coming to Mary Magdalene’s rescue. The parallel between Jesus and Mary Magdalene is immediately apparent. From then on, winks at the biblical story are woven in here and there. The film even goes so far as to stage a lynching and a tragic ending that changes everything.

The director establishes a sharp dichotomy: on one side of the street stands a brothel, and on the other, a church. Between the temple and the brothel, a battleground takes shape. On one side, the quest for salvation through faith; on the other, the quest for daily bread through sex. It is precisely the missionary zeal of this fanatical pastor, who deliberately set up shop right across from sex workers, that makes the encounter between Joseph and Mary Magdalene possible. It just goes to show that when you try to prevent something, you end up bringing it about.

Ultimately, Géssica Généus uses these biblical figures to showcase the unique way Haitians handle their powerlessness in the face of adversity.

Marie Madeleine is screening at TIFF on September 15, 16, and 20, 2026.

Trailer