Tags:
Film: Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges)
Year: 2023
Director: Pascal Plante
Writer: Pascal Plante
Starring: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin and Élisabeth Locas
Review:
This was a film that I saw part of the trailer at the Gateway Film Center. I wasn't completely sure if this was a horror film. I did hear good things and when I confirmed it being in genre, I started to see how I could fit this into my schedule. The premise was intriguing so there's that as well.
Synopsis: a model becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder trial
We have an interesting way to introduce things here. Our lead is Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy). She is going to the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos). He is accused of killing three young girls, filming it and showing the footage on the dark web. The victims are Kim (Simon Bilodeau and Constance Munger), Justine (Raphaëlle Blanchette) and Camille (Mégane Connelly). The judge in charge is Marcel Godbout (Guy Thauvette). The prosecutor is Couronne (Natalie Tannous) and the defense attorney is Fortin (Pierre Chagnon). They set the stage about the accused and the crux of the story.
Kelly-Anne is a model who also plays online poker. We see that she has a small, but expensive apartment. She has an advanced Al program that runs on a private server and helped tailor it to her needs. Kelly-Anne sleeps in an alley each night so she can get into the court room each morning. This is a high profiled case so there are news cameras outside along with reporters.
It is going to this that she meets Clémentine (Laurie Babin). She is a firm believer that Ludovic is innocent. She tells this to reporters and whomever will listen to her. She meets Kelly-Anne one morning when she finds her sleeping in the alley. She is lonely and seeking a friend. Kelly-Anne does take this young woman under her wing, allows her to stay at the apartment and helps buys food. There is the vibe that they don't see eye to eye on Ludovic and his innocence, but Kelly-Anne keeps that to herself.
What we get here is an interesting look at the character of Kelly-Anne. The deeper this trial goes on, the more we learn about not only the case, but about this character. She has layers to her. She is dabbling on the dark side of the internet and the things that can be found there. There is a method to her madness and the lengths that she'll go, destroying everything she's built and her career in the process.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is that this is a character study along with a look at society as well. My wife, Jaime, asked me about this movie the morning after I saw it. I told her that it was difficult to talk about, but it is also one that I don't know if you can necessarily spoil either. This is crafted in an interesting way that kept me wondering where it would go in the end.
Let me then start by looking more into the character of Kelly-Anne. She doesn't talk much. She has an intense look while also being attractive. Gariépy is perfectly cast for that. That also is a benefit for her as a model. Plus, she is also tall so there’s that as well. There is more to her in that she is cerebral. She tells Clémentine that she's good with numbers so she uses that to her advantage with playing online poker. She has the patience and understanding of the game to capitalize on more emotional players. What is intriguing is that this aspect gets tested during the climax. She also knows her way around the dark web. This dark side is revealed with Clémentine when she reveals that she has access to the two snuff films that the court does. There is a third one out there, but no one seems to have access. I like what they do here with this character.
The next logical step would be to look at society. What is interesting is that the evidence is all circumstantial. The prosecution has pulled expert witnesses to prove to the jury that Ludovic is the killer. It is things like how he stands, moves and has the same eye color. I like that in the opening statements, the defense attorney points this out. Despite this being the evidence that they're working with, everyone from the people in the courtroom to talk show hosts is assuming it is a done deal. I'm glad that a naïve character like Clémentine is introduced. She is going more off her emotions. She doesn't believe that Ludovic killed these girls and that the evidence isn't enough to prove it. There are interesting reveals with her as we go on and the more that she experiences. I'll credit Babin for her performance as well. I also like incorporating in the dark web and the concept that our killer made snuff films for money. It is something that an urban legend, but with the start of the internet, could be possible.
I think I'll then go over to filmmaking. How this is crafted is great. This runs almost two hours and although I do think that things could be trimmed here, I also think this is slower by design. We are descending into madness with our lead. We have Clémentine to frame that maybe Ludovic isn't guilty, then we see Kelly-Anne ruining everything she's built for this obsession. The framing and cinematography are great. I love what they do without showing the crimes but using the sound design. We are told things that happen and then our imagination can run with it from there. I was impressed there with how things were used.
All that is left then is discuss the rest of the cast. I've already commended Gariépy and Babin. Elisabeth Locas is one of the mothers. Her look and seeing what happened to her daughter has worn on her was good. I believe she is the mother of the one who they haven't found the video of what happened. That adds to it. McCabe-Lokos is this figure that we see and is always looming. Tannous, Chagnon, Thauvette, all the other lawyers, jury members and those in attendance of court were solid as well. They don't necessarily speak, but we see them regularly. They almost are us.
There isn't much more to go into from there. In conclusion, I'm glad that I didn't sleep on this movie and caught it at the theater. We have an interesting character study of our lead, Kelly-Anne, then having this look at society as well with our preconceived notions of the guilt of this defendant. The acting is good across the board. How this was made was also good. The cinematography, framing and sound design leading there. Be warned that this is a French-Canadian film, so it is mostly subtitled. It is a slow burn, but I thought it was well worth the journey.
My Rating: 8 out of 10