She had previously written and directed the narrative feature films Missing Victor Pellerin (Rechercher Victor Pellerin) in 2006,[2] Vital Signs (Les Signes vitaux) in 2009,[3] The Wolves (Les Loups) in 2015,[4] In 2019 she wrote, directed and shot Antigone, inspired by the 2008 death of Fredy Villanueva in Montreal and loosely adapting the play by Sophocles, saying the story of a woman who defies the law for something greater resonated with her, and she wished to update it.
[11] Deraspe characterizes her work, which often deals with contemporary art, as "constantly questioning limits, particularly those related to representation, as well as the boundaries of reality and fiction."
After graduating with a B.A., she worked as a trainee in the directing department on such seminal Quebec feature films as Philippe Falardeau's debut feature La moitié gauche du Frigo (The Left-Hand Side of the Fridge, 2000) and André Turpin's Le crabe dans la tête (Soft-Shell Man, 2001), and served as director of photography on numerous film and television productions.
The world is presented as a vast hoax in which the gesture of Victor Pellerin appears scandalous in that it lifts the veil on a corner of this immense deception.
Several other critics go to show their positive appreciation: "Is Montrealer Sophie Deraspe's astonishing first film a documentary, mockumentary, cinematic installation piece, true cinema, performance workout, full-on fiction or flat-out hoax?
(John Griffin, The Gazette); "A little gem of astonishing ingenuity" (Manon Dumais, Voir); "Without contest, one of the Quebec originals of the year" (Annabelle Nicoud, La Presse); "An uncanny, uncategorizable film... comic yet human."
The Wolves (Les Loups), a Canada-France co-production, brought together Quebec actors Evelyne Brochu, Louise Portal, Benoît Gouin, Gilbert Sicotte and newcomer Cindy-Mae Arsenault, a native of the Magdalen Islands, where the film was shot.
La Presse gave it 4+1⁄2 stars, calling it "powerful, brilliant... extremely well constructed", while Variety praised its "slippery, deftly woven narrative.
[15] A contemporary adaptation of the Sophocles play, Antigone, written, edited, and directed by Deraspe, revisited the myth in a story of a 16-year-old girl and three siblings who have immigrated to Montreal, Canada with their grandmother after the murder of their parents.
Produced by Encore Television for Corus Entertainment's Séries Plus, the six-episode drama series Dark Soul (Bête noire) examines the consequences of a shooting carried out by 16-year-old Jérémy at his school, looking at what drove him to orchestrate such an act of hate and how his grieving family are left to pick up the pieces.
With the help of psychiatrist coroner Éliane (Sophie Cadieux) leading the investigation into the case, Jérémy's mother Mélanie (Isabelle Blais) will try to work out how her seemingly trouble-free son came to commit such a terrible crime.
In her latest TV series, Motel Paradise, the viewers will follow the journey of Jen, who's, after having near-death experience, no longer believes in the hypothesis of suicide of her 14-year-old sister.