[2] Set in a village in the 1890s, the film centres on Cordélia Viau (Louise Portal), a woman who invites men into her home while her husband is away.
One of the men who was invited in is found dead and the woman is suspected and judged for her immoral act rather than the crime of murder she may have committed.
Martin photographe, Cordelia is also a sumptuous period piece of pastel colours, soft, expressive lighting and glimpses of a visually beautiful past.
But occasionally the prettiness of these images creates a discord in the film, not unlike that resulting from the unexplained plot details already discussed.
[4] According to Deschênes, there was no evidence that the real Cordélia Viau had not committed the murder, and thus the film's thesis that she was wrongfully convicted was slanderous to the judicial system.