Misericordia

Well, when there is death of a loved one, we don't want that to be a permanent loss. Each main character here carries a kind of loss with them. Human nature compels us to maintain hope; hope that there could be something more, eventually. Perhaps not a replacement of that person, exactly, but a kind of consolation. That's essentially what this movie is about, I feel, and each character searches for this consolation in their own, sometimes weird, ways. I can appreciate the humanity at work here.

Where the movie is lacking, for me, is Jeremy's backstory. Oddly, even though the movie is centred on Jeremy, we never really learn THAT much about him. On a practical level: how is he able to be unemployed for so long? On a deeper level: why is he doing what he is doing, exactly? Why is he behaving in this clingy way, never wanting to leave this house? Why did he love his former boss; how did that strong connection come to be? These questions are never really answered because there is little context/background here.

Also... do cops not need warrants in France? I'm no expert on the French legal system but it stretched believability for me that cops can just barge into a house like that, displaying no warrant, to interrogate Jeremy. Odd. But there are quite a few odd things in this odd little film. I don't necessarily mind that.

"Misericordia" is Latin for "mercy," and I gave the clever yet very narrowly contoured screenplay much of it. The performances were excellent, and the antagonist was easy enough to dislike, but there were too many unexplored backstories that needed to fold out; instead, the guesswork laid the story flat because most of the characters were thinly developed despite the available fodder for deep character studies.

The film is not without its philosophical musings on guilt and compassion for forgiveness, so Guiraudie had all the makings of a much greater film in hand.

I am fully aware that Misericordia was chosen for the best film of 2024 by Cahiers du cinéma and nominated for multiple César awards-but without this excellent cast ensemble and the outstanding cinematography, this film should have been a suspense short, not a feature.

French film industry is very profilic and rather effective in terms of such countryside dramas, taking place in remote villages. Nothing to do with the urban life. Good atmosphere, anyway far more intersting than the story itself, where you wonder where it drives to. Unusual character symphony, far from clichés. I won't say any harm about this film, it is a small film for which the director have perhaps worked during many years. It's worth the watch for those in search of petty French dramas, rapidly forgotten dramas. They have their peculiarity, their charm. We can't deny it, can we? Except Catherine Frot, I don't know the cast. But this movie delivers something disturbing, against moral and right thinking. Not for all audiences.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this film.

This movie is perfect for teaching how not to make a film. It's the only worth it has.

Everything is poorly executed.

The storytelling is so bad... there's no story. The acting is lame beyond words. You never understand what characters feel, think or what their intentions are.

The main character is the most tasteless, bland person imaginable, who apparently, would sleep with anything that moves, no matter the gender, the age, the size or the religion (literally, he sleeps with a priest).

The movie has no ending, no closure and no point, of course.

I can't understand who on Earth would finance this movie.

Strange tale. Never seen a first person account quite like this. Very revealing and cryptic at the same time. Creepy vibes galore. In the beginning everybody seemed creepy in this village apart from Jeremie. But then... Still, the priest gives off major creep. Maybe more than most given what he knows.

I was expecting something quirky given this stars Catherine Frot of the French Agatha Christie adaptations. But no, this is a whole other animal.

It threw me several times with the direction the story took. I guess I liked that it challenged morality quite a bit. And there's no shred of satire or irony about it. And also, once again, the French are very lax about sexual behaviour. Even the very questionable kind.