Les chambres rouges

"Red Rooms," the 2023 Canadian thriller, grips you from the first frame and doesn't let go until the final credits roll. The plot weaves a web of suspense and obsession around the high-profile trial of Ludovic Chevalier, a notorious serial killer. What sets this film apart is its brilliant direction, which skillfully navigates the fine line between horror and psychological thriller. The tension builds relentlessly, leaving you on the edge of your seat, eager to uncover the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface. The cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, capturing the eerie atmosphere of the story while maintaining a visceral connection to the characters' emotions.

At the heart of "Red Rooms" lies a captivating exploration into the psyche of Kelly-Anne, a character whose obsession with the case blurs the boundaries between reality and her own morbid fantasies. This journey delves deep into the mind of a serial killer groupie, a character study that is as disturbing as it is engrossing. The film doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable truths of human fascination with the macabre, painting a raw and unflinching portrait of a woman who becomes entangled in a sinister quest for the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl. The performances are nothing short of exceptional, with the lead actress delivering a tour de force performance that brings Kelly-Anne's complex character to life with haunting authenticity. "Red Rooms" is a fantastic entry in psychological thrillers genre, offering a chilling yet thought-provoking experience that will linger long after the credits have rolled.

I saw 23 films at CIFF & this was my top pick. So thoroughly detailed, from the beginning (seemingly) 1-shot take, to how the story and characters are developed, to the 2 lead actresses (Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin) and the entire cast being so believable in their roles. I loved that instead of showing horrific gruesome scenes, you already know and hear the scenes just by seeing the 2 actresses act with their eyes and faces. The depiction of the dark web & related online conversations seems incredibly real. I'm not on the dark web but have been actively engaged since the mid-90s with how people speak online especially using anonymous usernames. The ending did cause intense excited conversations between my friends & I, as to exactly the personality and motives of the main character. As a side note, my friends & I met the director Pascal Plante at CIFF & he was so friendly & humble. I've noticed that the films we enjoyed the most were by the directors who were incredibly humble about their work. Anyhow, this film kept us engaged with every single second.

Elegantly haunting, this film takes a refreshing angle on the serial killer genre and elevates it via subtlety and a sharp, slow knife.

Kelly-Anne is a mysterious lead, as we are taken into her strange and unique world of glamour, gambling, obsession and psychopathy. Accompanied by a fellow, more innocent, 'fan', the two decide to go to the trial of a suspected monster each day out of a morbid sense of curiosity.

There are mesmerising little avenues this film meanders down to keep you gripped, but it's almost impossible to predict the finale. It's a truly refreshing, if gently horrific, take on the dark thriller, as it turns out that it's not just the ones with the blade to look out for, it's also the ones with a keyboard.

This is cerebral, clever, and it is at its scariest when it's at its most direct. This is a film that will stay with you for quite a while. If you want a cheap thrill, don't bother - but if you want something that pushes boundaries in a 'less is more' kind of way - give this a go. Just don't say I didn't warn you ...

Pascal Plante's Red Rooms may well be the definitive satire of the digital age -- with all its true crime podcasts, serial-killer streaming shows (people basing entire fandoms around the loss of others, basically), Dark-Web fascinations, and other things that have irrevocably desensitized us to suffering. That this film came out right when we started seeing as many corpses and eviscerated streets in our social media feeds as we did -- scrolling past them with little reaction -- makes it even more deeply haunting than it already was.

I can't really put it much better than the other critics here; this really is one of the most evil movies of the year -- possibly of all time. And that isn't to say that the director had ill intentions. That's not what they mean at all! Rather, the film captures something truly vile that is going on within mankind, and also includes one of the most cruel non-violent acts I have ever seen on film. When I tell you that the angles, edits, facial expressions, and especially the music from this scene live rent-free in my head, that is no exaggeration.

In general, the movie contains some of my favorite sequences of the year. The meticulously photographed courtroom scene that opens the film; the eerie moments where the protagonist (played by Juliette Gariépy in a powerfully subtle and downright disturbing performance) dives into the Dark Web and first makes contact with the eponymous Red Rooms; the finale that shows a singularly unsettling break-in. The more I think about it, the more I admire it. Absolutely phenomenal film.

Les chambres rouges.

A model becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder trial.

Red rooms is a psychological horror and thriller that gets darker in twisted way, the story is interesting and I love courtdrama films but this one felt unique and different a little with an up-to-date case about the dark web, so it really was a very interesting experience.

This movie excelled to picture the dark story of Kelly-Anne especially the atmosphere, most of the scenes were at night and it really served the movie.

This one shouldn't fly under the radar, it's one of the year's best, unfortunately it was released late in the year and it just didn't get the amount of appreciation it deserves.