True crime fixation and voyeurism make natural if disturbing bedfellows at times, and the latest from Quebec-based filmmaker Pascal Plante examines the darker aspects of sleuthing and more importantly the detachment that is necessary to truly initiate oneself amongst the most depraved. Red Rooms, (Les chambres rouges), is a calculated thriller to say the least. From its opening twenty-minute single shot of a courtroom briefing where we meet our main character and are immediately struck by her impassive demeanor, the film never lets its true agenda reveal itself. This is mirrored in Juliette Gariépy's stunning performance and the protagonist/antagonist that she portrays, who is so emotionally barren that we are constantly fixated on what and where her curious motives are coming from. All of the film's suspense stems from this fixation since the man who has presumably committed the story's horrendous crimes is already on trail from the onset, so the focus lies instead on those who are drawn to sensationalized atrocities and what murky waters this unwholesome pull trudges through. Several moments are startling in their intimate disturbingness, punctuating the movie with surreal jumps that somehow only intensify the spell. Anything that goes down the rabbit hole of snuff films and the dark web is icky stuff that is never for the squeamish, but Plante's work here ventures into this abyss in such a controlled and evocative manner that it only ends up challenging the viewer in the most rewarding of ways.
The second full-length from French filmmaker Thomas Cailley, The Animal Kingdom, (Le Règne animal), takes a concept that has been explored in David Freyne's zombie drama The Cured as well as the entire saga of the X-Men, but the presentation is unique and cuts right to the bone of the fears of "the new norm". Here, human beings have begun to start morphing into animal hybrids, ones that have violent tendencies that are both inescapable and brought on by the rest of the world's understandably terrified reaction to them. Complicating an already hopelessly complicated matter is that life goes on. People still have bills to pay, jobs to get to, school to attend, college to think about, love interests to nurture, family to protect, and communities to integrate into. The last thing that humankind needs is their teenage son turning into a wolf, losing the ability to communicate verbally, and inevitably having to find a new home amongst their mutated brethren instead of their old civilized existence. Cailley keeps up a no-nonsense pace and utilizes some of the better CGI effects in recent times, helped significantly by excellent practical makeup and visual tricks as well. Best of all, the film is not a nihilistic downer that offers no hope for such a harrowing outcome. In fact, the strange turn of events are only disturbing if grief and fear overcomes all who are involved. Embracing the "new norm" on the other hand, (with compassion and acceptance), leaves a much-needed glimmer of hope.
For anyone who cannot stand Rupert Holmes "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)", (which should include every human on earth), writer/director Mary Dauterman's debut Booger should come equipped with a severe warning since such an abysmal yacht rock staple shows up in various forms throughout. An aloof grief comedy that falls short of hitting its mark, the film plays its quirky components close to the vest which is nice for a change, but it does lead to unrealized results. Grace Glowicki's portrays a young woman whose best friend and roommate has just died while also, (and more puzzlingly), transforming into their missing stray cat of the title. The audience understands what is happening early on if not why it is happening, and in fact we never get any answers to such a question, but several characters here point to the fact that Glowicki is side-stepping the whole mourning part of her buddy's death. The problem is that this is not convincingly conveyed. Instead, Dauterman indulges in gross-out moments, people saying wacky things once in awhile, and Glowicki not so much as avoiding her emotions about her friend as to not having many to begin with. There is no profound revelation, just the movie going about its oddball business until it is time to wrap itself up At this point we have entered into murky psychological terrain and Glowicki seems to be ready to be happy with those around her again, yet it is through no fault of anything that has transpired.
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