Red Rooms

A beautiful young woman awakens on a loading dock in a city alley, then heads to a courtroom where she will be one of the spectators allowed in to witness the trial of the notorious, alleged serial killer Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, "Lars and the Real Girl"), accused of kidnapping three blond, blue-eyed girls between the ages of 14 and 16 and butchering them for snuff videos live streamed in “Red Rooms.”
Laura's Review: B+
If someone were to figure out what percentage of films revolved around serial killers, one would probably come to the conclusion that they comprised a measurable piece of the demographic, an incorrect assumption that indicates an outsized interest in the subject. Writer/director Pascal Plante explores that phenomenon from a unique perspective – that of the female groupies who fawn over these depraved murders – and his psychological thriller keeps us guessing until the very end.
Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), an in demand fashion model known for her edgy vibe, lives in a sleek fishbowl high above Montreal, production designer Laura Nhem ("The Twentieth Century") tying her to her obsession, who sits within a glass booth at trial. The media pounces as spectators depart day one, Kelly-Anne telling one ‘I was curious,’ while feet away, a younger woman we will learn is Clementine (Laurie Babin) rants about the Chevalier’s innocence, coming up with increasingly outlandish explanations for each piece of circumstantial evidence. On day two, when one of the two snuff videos obtained by prosecutors will be shown in a closed courtroom, Clementine hovers at the door, hoping to catch a glimpse, as the distraught mother of the victim, Francine Beaulieu (Elisabeth Locas), strides out, unable to bear more than a few seconds. We can only hear what’s on that tape and it is more than enough.
Returning from a modeling gig over the weekend, Kelly-Anne will run into Clementine and take pity on the younger woman, who is about to camp out on the streets, inviting her to stay in her apartment. At this point, Gariépy has kept Kelly-Anne something of a cipher, so this is a surprising development, especially as the younger woman seems mentally off balance, her strong convictions about Chevalier fantastical. This will be underscored when Clementine calls into a TV talk show against Kelly-Anne’s advice, the young woman cut off and discussed by the hosts as the clearly disturbed person she is. But then a real moment of reckoning comes when Clementine learns that Kelly-Anne actually owns the two (highly illegal) videos they were forbidden to see in court.
While Plante comes at this subject matter from a new angle, he also embraces the age old tactic of implicating the viewer by teasing out details of horrific murders (he only shows the briefest snippet of one of the videos from far enough away to suggest, but obscure, details). It is notable that he was inspired by a true life case where a snuff video put on line by the killer was viewed 10 million times within 24 hours, a shocking statistic. Plante has written two vastly different characters in these two women, one worldly and seriously computer savvy, able to game online gambling and navigate the Dark Web, the other naïve, clinging onto conspiratorial beliefs and living hand to mouth. Both women experience shattering confrontations with the truth, Kelly-Anne’s an emotional roller coaster that sees Gariépy finally allowing us into Kelly-Anne’s emotional mindset.
Cinematographer Vincent Biron ("The Twentieth Century") uses a cool palette for city scenes, the sterile courtroom and Kelly-Anne’s apartment, where her two computer monitors emit a blue glow, but the screen is awash in red whenever Chevalier’s videos come into play. When alone, Kelly-Anne is often shot in static long takes, an especially unsparing device during one startling moment when the model transforms herself into one of the victims to grab the killer’s attention.
“Red Rooms” is a smart and stylish thriller that may not provide any answers when it comes to the public’s fascination with serial killers, but it will certainly make you stop and think about it.
Robin's Review: B+
Utopia releases "Red Rooms" in select theatres on 9/6/24. Click here for theaters and play dates.