Red Rooms, 2023.
Written and Directed by Pascal Plante.
Starring Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Élisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Chagnon, Guy Thauvette, Charlotte Aubin, Sébastien Beaulac, and Frédérick de Grandpré.
SYNOPSIS:
A model becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder trial.
Red Rooms is more than unsettling; watching it is akin to being lowered into a dark, pitch-black abyss suffocating in its study of the ugliest corner of human behavior. However, it is never trashy or exploitative, remaining grounded in psychology. It’s also a film that feels more harrowing to watch on a computer, given that writer/director Pascal Plante and cinematographer Vincent Biron capture Montréal model Kelly-Anne (an icy, difficult-to-read, phenomenal performance from Juliette Gariépy that ranks among the year’s best so far) in her darkened high-rise apartment loft, reflected into her dual monitor computer setup surfing around the dark web and hacking programs for ambiguous purposes.
What we do know is that Kelly-Anne is infatuated with the trial of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier (a silent, pure evil-in-the-eyes turn from Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), alleged to have kidnapped three underaged girls (sickeningly, each subsequent victim younger than the last) for torture and sexual abuse inside “red rooms,” live streamed on the dark web. Eventually, their dead bodies were found alongside a mountain of incriminating evidence against Ludovic Chevalier. Shot in an unbroken take that goes on for roughly 20 minutes and is undeniably compelling, there is also the sense that the film could have got that information across a bit more efficiently.
It is unclear what Kelly-Anne’s interest is specifically, but among those showing up to observe the case is the much more vocal Clementine (a convincingly unstable Laurie Babin, making for another terrific performance here), who has massively deluded herself into believing that the system is broken and that they have convicted the wrong man, and that this whole trial, complete with video evidence of the torture, is an emotionally manipulative tactic to get the jury so riled up for justice that they will put him behind bars regardless of the credibility of the evidence. In theory, Clementine’s logic isn’t necessarily a train of thought that should be written off, but in this particular case, it comes across as absolute crazy talk adjacent to the mentally unwell individuals who developed an obsessive romance with Ted Bundy. Much like Alex Jones, she draws disgust from the victims’ parents at the trial.
These two gradually start interacting with one another, with Kelly-Anne taking yet another ambiguous interest in a character. At one point, she invites the wandering homeless woman (it seems like she traveled to Montréal solely to sympathize with this maniac on trial) to stay with her. Unsurprisingly, Clementine does most of the talking, with Kelly-Anne often a passive observer, occasionally talking about her technological skills and online poker strategies (which appears to be her side job away from modeling.) However, there are moments where Kelly-Anne slightly pushes back against Clementine’s beliefs, most notably trying to save her from public embarrassment by calling into a reality TV show to defend Ludovic Chevalier. It is something she writes off as propaganda for the masses and trauma-farming for viewership, which is, again, a worthwhile point being made. There is a case to be made that Clementine is the way she is due to a reflexive, stubborn contrarian born from such societal true crime obsession.
They return to the court every day (save for the weekend, where most of their bonding occurs), which becomes closer and closer to showing the disturbing footage to the court. It’s also important to note that, as viewers, this horrific snuff material is not shown, only heard. And much like everything else here, the sound design team has put forth impeccable work alongside a discordant, queasy, tense score from Dominique Plante that accentuates everything about this film, burrowing its way into the subconscious. It will not be revealed here how Clementine reacts to any of this footage, but the aftermath will hopefully cause true crime junkies (the people who need to see this film most) to do some reflection.
As for Kelly-Anne, her unclear motives and unhealthy dive into this case from the courtroom and the dark web begin to collide with her modeling career, coming with a fallout sure to spark passionate debate from both ends. It’s also worth admitting that when her character is studied on-screen alone, the film feels more uncomfortable and absorbing, fully allowed to tap into disturbing online behavior. The deeper Kelly-Anne digs, though, it remains abstract as to whether we should be rooting for her (since her back and forth with Clementine comes across as both cautionary and like she might secretly be there for a valid reason) or increasingly concerned that this darkness will swallow her whole. The suspense Red Rooms ratchets up to is hypnotically overbearing and unnerving.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
