Gladys: a Queen in Exile

The author introduces us to Gladys Trudeau, a waitress at the Prince Arthur restaurant, the P.A., once located at the corner of Parc and Prince Arthur streets and demolished to make way for the gigantic La Cité complex. The video features expressions of affection for Gladys on the part of many of her customers and lets us get to know this generous woman who misses the days she spent working there, which she describes as a meeting place where the regulars knew they would find each other and knew how to have fun. The video takes a very sharp turn when she talks about her son, who was kidnapped and murdered, putting the rest of the film in a whole other light. Towards the end, we see Gladys walking alone in a vacant lot, all that remains of the restaurant and the neighbouring stores.