Alléluia

This is yet another remake of the Honeymoon Killers. It is very loosely based on the infamous Martha Beck and Raymond Fernandez lonely hearts murderers. The real life killers would answer ads and Ray would seduce widows with Beck posing as his sister. They would take the money and run after killing the old ladies. This Belgian version changes the tale dramatically with the pair seducing younger women. The acting is good but I was not thrilled with the story line. I recommend The Honeymoon Killers as a much better movie. Tony Lobianco and Shirley Stoler are perfectly cast as the murderous pair.

Like the titles says the movie is the Belgian version of Ripstein's Profundo carmesí (Deep red) with more or less minor differences. Still worth watching but nothing extraordinarily original if you have watched Ripstein's bizarre and grotesque 1996 movie.

Is this an Original story? I don't think so Because is very similar to the Mexican Movie "PROFUNDO CARMESI"(1996), at the same time this film re-tells the story of "THE LONELY HEARTS KILLERS" (1969), a famous couple of murderers who made victims of lonely and wealthy widows in the USA.

Gloria (Lola Dueñas) is a rotund and passionate nurse who knows handsome gigolo Michel (Laurent Lucas) and falls for him immediately. She abandons her children and follows the man in spite of his way of living. Together they will scheme to swindle and murder women who look for love and companions.

Lola Dueñas is spellbinding to watch here, as fated lover Gloria. And despite the dark, heavy subject matter, I still find Alléluia to be a beautiful, hypnotic and romantic film. And Vincent Cahay's classic and experimental soundtrack is sublime.

Expertly crafted.

Not really lost, but sort of found. That is what you may think of the two main characters. And while the dynamic seems to swing one way at first, it becomes clear that there is something deeper and more Animalistic going on too. Something that is impossible to stop. Americans call something "a glutton for punishment". You could say that for one of the main characters, though he's not always on the receiving end of that punishment. Also how can you stop the unstoppable? It seems to be impossible.

Whatever the case, our "heroes" are far out, to use another phrase. You might not be able to connect (actually if you do connect 100% you might wanna check yourself), but it might also be impossible to let go. To not watch this to the end. Unless you have a problem with violence and nudity in movies that is of course. Because there is plenty of that going (literally) around here. There is a message hidden in between all that mayhem though