RED ROOMS

(director/writer: Pascal Plante; cinematographer: Vincent Biron; editor: Jonah Malak; music: Dominique Plante; cast: Juliette Gariepy (Kelly-Anne), Maxwell McCabe Lokos (Ludovic Chevalier), Laurie Babin (Clementine), Natalie Tannous (Maitre Chedid-Couronne), Pierre Chagnon (Maitre Fortrin-Defense), Guy Thauvette (Judge Marcel Godbout), Elisabeth Locas (Francine Beaulieu); Runtime: 118; MPAA Rating: NR; producers: Dominique Dussault; Utopia/Nemesis Films; 2023-Canada-French Canadian)

“A shocking offbeat psychological thriller about an accused serial-killer on trial for brutally killing three teenage girls.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

A shocking offbeat psychological thriller about an accused serial-killer on trial for brutally killing three teenage girls. The court gets its hands on a snuff video, which is used as evidence. It only shows the tape to the jury of the torture and murder of the girls in a “red room” on the dark web, as the video of two of the murders was sold online.

The unsettling True Crime film is by Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante (“Nadia, Butterfly”/”Fake Tattoos”).
 
The lonely Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariepy) is a Parisian fashion model obsessed with the alleged murderer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), as she attends every day his high-profile trial with another groupie, Clementine (Laurie Babin), someone she befriends while sitting in the gallery, but who differs from her by thinking the accused might be innocent.

The women represent those in the public who are drawn to such bizarre serial-killer celebratory.

Kelly-Anne plays hero as she uses her computer skills to search for the tape of the missing third murder.

The taut film, which lacks credibility, makes for an unpleasant watch that holds our attention even if it’s not graphic, but still leaves us with a sickening feeling as if we were violated.

 It played at the Fantasia Film Festival.

REVIEWED ON 9/7/2024  GRADE: B
dennisschwartzreviews.com