Content Warning: Themroc includes implied incest and cannibalism, which may be disturbing to some viewers.
One of the best human experiences is discovery; that feeling of coming across something you’ve never heard of, seen, or discussed. Opportunities abound like this in cinema, especially because films across the decades don’t always escape the borders of their country, aren’t properly stored, don’t reach their intended audience at time of release, and any of another myriad of reasons why a film might disappear from the collective radar. Thanks to boutique labels like Radiance Films, discovery is something physical media fans and cinephiles can experience near every month, and May 2025 is no exception as they offer a brand-new 4K HD restoration and first-time Blu-ray edition of French filmmaker Claude Faraldo’s (Bof… Anatomie d’un livreur) controversial satirical dramedy Themroc. Complete with the usual on-disc special features and a truly compelling essay from Alison Smith, this new edition of Themroc presents the best kind of discovery that may very well rattle you through and through.
Themroc (Michel Piccoli) spends his days in repetition — he gets up, makes coffee, prepares for work, commutes, does works maintenance, travels home, and prepares to do it all over again. One fateful day, when the battle between his internal urges and external expectations from society are at a zenith, an altercation with his boss (Romain Bouteille) tips the scales and Themroc seemingly abandons all modern pretense. At first, it’s just him and his sister (Béatrice Romand) who have tossed off modernity for a more caveman-like existence, but the longer Themroc engages in regressive frivolity, more of his neighbors begin to do the same, drawing the attention and ire of law enforcement in the process.
Given the content warning at the top and the excitement that this review starts with, a certain creeping uncertainty might hit you as to whether you should check this film out. Truthfully, had I known this going in, I likely would’ve had my own concerns as well. Instead, all I knew about the film was the official synopsis and a trailer filled with screams and incoherent gibberish, inspiring curiosity instead of disquiet. The watch, however, is not as terrifying as one might expect from the warning because things are more heavily implied than shown, Faraldo more interested in exploring ideas than titillating the audience with taboos. This means that we see Themroc eating meat from a large constructed rotisserie, with only the scene before it to create a correlation between what spins and its origins. This means that we get quite a bit of leering from Themroc toward his sister, the either scantily clad or fully-nude Romand, but we never see them engage in coitus. The importance of implied vs. direct matters as the context of what’s occurring shapes how the audience responds to the narrative. Personally, the initial scene of Themroc ogling his sister, even sneaking into her room to sniff her sleeping form, is crude and uncomfortable; yet, within the context of exploring the struggle between the working man and the wealthy class, the battle between modern man and caveman, this inclusion strangely aids Faraldo’s satirical point regarding what’s taboo and why. Themroc is meant to disturb, meant to provoke, as it centers the de-evolution of a man who’s had enough of a mediocre life and being denied all the things that he’s wanted in service to the wealthy. That none of the characters speak recognizable dialogue (anachronistic against the French-language signs) only serves Faraldo’s point that language, like society, is a social construct made of rules and breaking them doesn’t destroy society, it merely reshapes it. We, as an audience, understand what Themroc and the other characters want, think, and believe through performance (both physical and verbal), aided occasionally through Noun Serra’s (L’Amour à la mer) judicious editing, and not language, implying that this society has already undergone one de-evolution and is malleable for another. In this case, Themroc, the person, represents the start of a revolution away from social constructs and a return to fulfilling the Id through freedom; a choice that starts to bleed into his neighborhood by sheer proximity to him, creating a sphere of influence that law enforcement would rather decimate or lock up as they cannot control the spread. In this way, Faraldo positions law enforcement as what it is, a tool to manage any potential threat to the status quo, rather than a means to protect its citizenry. Even if one was unaware of the political conditions in France in the late 1960s and early 1970s that influenced Faraldo’s themes, there are some concepts that transcend time, politics, and culture.
To learn more about the intersection of this influential elements and Themroc, Radiance delivers four ways to gain insight. The first one is a fabulous essay from French Cinema in the 1970s: The echoes of May author Allison Smith who, among many aspects of the era she explores, suggests a thematic correlation between Themroc and George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968) in which Faraldo inverted several elements of his work to explore a different kind of infection. Once one reads this essay, there are certain traits and similarities that cannot be ignored. This essay is, of course, included in the booklet accompanying the physical release that includes the usual film stills, cast and crew information, restoration notes, etc. The second is the first of three on-disc video features, a new interview with critic David Thomson that explores Themroc from a larger and wider perspective, discussing the various controversaries the film experienced, as well as Faraldo as an artist, the socio-political issues of the time, and more. The third is a new interview with critic Manuela Lazic who specifically discusses the career of Piccoli from his start to his view of stardom (a distraction) to his work in Themroc and beyond. The fourth is an archived interview from 1973 between Faraldo, Piccoli, and members of the press as they interview the two in a group format, the duo sitting on a couch as the press sit and stand around them positing the meaning of the film. Though it’s stated in the prior two new interviews how both Faraldo and Piccoli feel about providing meaning to their work, the two are as non-confrontational as possible when challenged on the response to the film, especially the taboo-related materials.
In terms of packaging, this restoration follows the usual Radiance style. The artwork is reversible with new art (fairly minimalist in design) by Sam Smith on the front and one version of the poster art (in color) viewable on the inverse through the clear plastic case. Release information such as film summary, Radiance release information, etc., are included in the OBI strip, which can be removed should that information not be part of your general aesthetic. The whole package is minimal, leaning into the less ostentatious nature of the film.
Regarding the restoration itself, to call the film lovely would not entirely be accurate. The colors are impeccably balanced so that the white of Themroc’s worker’s smock is a resplendent, especially against the red logo of the company he works for and the blood that pours ridiculously from his nose during the incident that gets him fired. Likewise, the grey of the concrete he both gathers himself to wall himself into his room and that he exposes upon breaking a hole in the exterior wall of his room are distinct, lacking muddiness. Skin not only looks natural, its supple and healthy, especially as Themroc’s newly-activated primal instincts take over, at least relative to the younger characters that Themroc engages with. The sound is clear, but not entirely clean — an aspect that has more to do with the Harald Maury (Nosferatu the Vampire) and Dominique Hennequin’s (The Green Ray) sound design than an issue with the restoration itself. The film is shot in a cinéma verité style, evoking a guerilla approach that reduces precision and clarity in favor of natural noises which are far less pristine. As usual, the booklet does include information on the restoration process; however, it only states that StudioCanal provided the original camera negative that created the 4K resolution digital file. No information regarding the tools used or the process applied to make the restoration is offered. That said, one cannot complain about the results.
If someone were to describe Themroc to me, chances are that it’s not a title I’d have rushed to see. It’s an oddity to be sure, but it’s one that rewards curiosity through a rich narrative and complex ideas. One doesn’t find themselves growing comfortable with the societal-breaking elements so much as understanding them within the confines of context. Once comfortable, even if not accepting, one can recognize the impressiveness of Piccoli’s performance to convey so much through unintelligible vocal intonations and physical portrayal of Themroc’s exhaustion with a society that works hard to keep the worker down and the wealthy up; one can recognize and roll around Faraldo’s hyperreality to prey away the salacious aspects and see the way he’s exposing the ruinous corruption of class systems. Without Radiance Films providing the opportunity for discovery, this would be another film lost to me in the annals of history, and my view of world cinema would be just a little dimmer as a result.
Themroc is not a film for everyone, so if you’re curious but not daring, waiting for a sale to snag this is recommended. Just keep in mind that Radiance tends to limit their titles and this one has only 3,000 copies available before its gone.
Themroc Special Features:
- 4K Restoration from the original negative by StudioCanal
- Original uncompressed PCM mono audio
- *NEW* Interview with critic David Thompson (23 min)
- *NEW* Interview with Manuela Lazic on Michel Piccoli (23 min)
- Archival interview from 1973 with actor Michel Piccoli and director Claude Faraldo (18 mins)
- Gallery
- Trailer
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sam Smith
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by Alison Smith, author of French Cinema in the 1970s: The echoes of May
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Available on Blu-ray May 20th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Radiance Films Themroc webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Themroc webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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