MISERICORDIA
(director/writer: Alain Guiraudie; cinematographer: Claire Mathon; editor: Jean-Christophe Hym; music: Marc Verdaguer; cast: Félix Kysyl (Jeremie Pastor), Jean-Baptiste Durand (Vincent), Catherine Frot (Martine), Jacques Develay (Priest Philippe Griseul), David Ayala (Walter), Tatiana Spivakova (Annie Rigal), Elio Lunetta (Kilian Rigal), Serge Richard (Jean-Pierre Rigal), Sébastien Faglain (Policeman), Salomé Lopes (Policeman); Runtime: 104; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Charles Gilibert; Janus Films; 2024-France-in French with English subtitles)
“A well-baked character-driven story with deadpan humor and intrigue.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
The provocative French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie (“Stranger by the Lake”/”Nobody’s Here”) directs and writes this psychological drama, a well-baked character-driven story with deadpan humor and intrigue.
Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) leaves Toulouse and comes home again to the small village of Saint-Martial to attend the funeral of his possible former lover and employer, a baker (Serge Richard). He’s an unemployed, 30-something, bisexual, con artist.
The sympathetic and lonely baker’s widow Martine (Catherine Frot) invites him to stay with her and take Vincent’s separate bedroom, for as long as he likes, even though that irks her married 30-year-old son Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand). He resides in his own home with his wife Annie (Tatiana Spivakova) and 7-year-old son Kilian (Elio Lunetta). The suspicious Vincent suspects something inappropriate, but the truth is Jérémie is attracted to the eccentric loner middle-aged bachelor neighbor Walter (David Ayala).
Vincent’s dislike for Jérémie leads to a violent confrontation in the woods.
When Vincent disappears, the police point to Jérémie as the main suspect because he was the last-known person to see Vincent alive. The priest named Philippe (Jacques Develay), a friend of Martine’s, is protective of Jérémie.
But there’s no mystery as to what happened to Vincent, as we see what happened. So we’re left with an ending that’s not surprising but not easy to handle (it’s like a climax we might see in a Chabrol mystery).
It played at the Cannes Film Festival.
REVIEWED ON 5/3/2025 GRADE: B+
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