There are movies that focus on courtroom procedurals and the drama that comes from the hearing itself that either are so effective they’re traumatizing or so dull they entirely lose the audience. Pascal Plante’s Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) thankfully manages to be the former and most effectively brings the audience into this deeply disturbing trial and has them questioning the motivation and reasoning behind the protagonist’s motivation. If you were a fan of Anatomy of a Fall, then truly prepare yourself for something increasingly more disturbing and frightful with a more intense pace and delivery bringing forth one of the most unsettling and bizarre courtroom dramas in some time.
Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne in RED ROOMS. Photo courtesy of Nemesis Films, Inc.
The movie focuses on Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) who’s a model deeply invested in the Quebecois serial killer trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos). Chevalier has been accused of killing three girls, aged 11 to 13, in such a sadistic and brutal way it would be similar to Dahmer and Manson in terms of grotesque violence. He maintains his innocence throughout the trial and disputes that the disturbing graphic videos found on the dark web, shot in red rooms, actually are his. Throughout the trial, Kelly-Anne befriends Clémentine (Laurie Babin) who believes that Ludovic has been set up and that he is in fact innocent, and becomes a groupie, in a sense, and fanatic of the supposed killer.
L-R: Laurie Bapin as Clémentine and and Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne in RED ROOMS. Photo courtesy of Nemesis Films, Inc.
What makes Red Rooms so disturbing and uneasy to watch while simultaneously being captivating and ensuring the horrors and questions never end is the script penned by Pascal Plante (Nadia, Butterfly). The way that he crafted his story to engage the audience in these horrific acts is truly fascinating and gut-wrenchingly disturbing. Atop the sadistic and unsettling context of the movie, leaving the interest of Kelly-Anne ambiguous and never letting the audience in on why she is so invested in the case adds to the overall unsettling nature of the film and the eerie feeling it leaves you with as it concludes. What is commendable and appreciated with the filming of Red Rooms, as well, is Pascal only lets you hear the horrors, the few seconds of video the audience does get to see is unnerving in the utmost definition of the word, but doesn’t show you the horrors that Ludvoic is accused of, giving the audience something that won’t make them literally sick to their stomach.
Maxwell McCabe-Lokos as Ludovic Chevalier in RED ROOMS. Photo courtesy of Nemesis Films, Inc.
The entire movie hinges on the performance of Juliette Gariépy (Mothers and Monsters) who delivers and has transformative moments throughout the film which absolutely grab and control the audience far more than expected. Each act of the movie is almost a new layer to her character with some truly bizarre moments that do get explained but leave you to question motive and intention throughout. Going from someone who is so deeply invested in the case, to questioning their connection, to ultimate confusion and assumption, Gariépy manages to deliver all versions of her character flawlessly with a wide range of ability that simply carries the audience on this journey and delivers one of the best performances of the year. However, it is not only Gariépy who delivers a fantastic performance. Laurie Babin (Before We Explode) shines as the fanatic lover of the accused who’s so incredibly sure and determined to be right that Ludovic is innocent, she makes it her life goal and statement to essentially prove that what the media is doing is wrong, and that he is innocent, especially until proven otherwise despite the damning evidence. However, I would be remiss to not discuss Maxwell McCabe-Lokos (Lars and the Real Girl), who never utters a word but does one simple thing that sends chills down the audience’s spines. Overall, the performances in Red Rooms mixed with the brilliant script and direction not only makes the film a must see, but a blueprint on how to make a court room procedural.
Screening during The Overlook Film Festival 2024.
For more information, head to the official Némésis Films Red Rooms webpage.
Final Score: 4 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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