Jour de chasse

This was a film that I got the chance to see thanks to Marc from Silk Road Entertainment. He asked if I was interested in watching the screener for review. Confirming that this was horror and a wide release 2025, I agreed since I do enjoy checking out independent films to round out my list. I did read the synopsis and confirmed this was in genre ahead of watching, not necessarily horror though. I'll come back to that. I also gave this a rewatch to see how I sat with it a second time for my end of year list.

Synopsis: Nina (Nahéma Ricci), a tempestuous young woman joins a group of hunters in a remote cabin. A mysterious stranger's arrival disrupts her newfound place in their male micro-society.

We start this film by seeing a car that ran out of gas. The stretch of road is desolate and I should point out that this is in Canada. There aren't many that come this way, especially at this time. There is Mike (Mattis Savard-Verhoeven) along with a couple of women, including Nina. Kevin (Frédéric Millaire-Zouvi) comes to their rescue with gas. Mike blows up at Nina causing her to fire back. Since she didn't back down, he leaves with the rest of the group. Nina then turns on her charm to get Kevin to help further.

These two met the previous night. Nina is a stripper and she was performing for Kevin along with his friends. One is LP (Alexandre Landry) and he's getting married. They are doing a hunting trip as part of a bachelor's trip with Bernard (Bruno Marcil), Philippe (Marc Beaupré) and Claude (Maxime Genois). When Kevin shows up with Nina, it is put to a vote whether they'll let her stay. It is a slim margin and comes down to Bernard telling her that he'll allow it if she is willing to go through an initiation.

We then get a montage of them hazing her. She does pass and they see her as a member of their group now. There is another person who shows up like she did, also brought by Kevin. His name is Doudos (Noubi Ndiaye). They go about the same process, but things take a turn. LP accidentally shoots him in the shoulder. He doesn't want to go to the hospital. The guys clean up his wound, but when things seem to turn bad for Doudos, they must decide what they'll do to take care of him.

That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start then with my breakdown is that this is another film that I've seen for 2025, which is borderline horror. I could see people watching this and not considering it. This isn't even listed on the Internet Movie Database or Letterboxd. It is dark in tone so it fits my podcast. There are elements that go into the genre. I just wanted to set that up before going deeper.

Now that I've set that up, I did want to bring up something from the synopsis. Nina is living in this micro-society. She is outnumbered 5-1 and then when this stranger shows up, 6-1. This is male to female. What I like though is that they're treating and considering her opinion on what to do with Doudos. It isn't until she disagrees with them on what to do that her profession and standing in society is brought up. That's when it is thrown in her face. You could also say that when she shows up, she is looked at as an outsider. She is acclimated from there. It does feel like Deliverance where they have a tough decision and worry about how it affects their lives outside of this isolated place. They have more to lose than Nina. Something I'll include here is that I love that they don't oversexualize her character outside of her profession to explain why she ended up here. I figured it would go into the territory of Revenge. Credit to what they did here as well as to Ricci's performance.

With this second watch, there is a bit more to develop here. This group of males are displaying toxic masculinity when she first arrives. Now they do subvert stereotypes by accepting here into the group. What is looking at more is 'group think' and how fragile society is when you boil it down. The isolation and being able to cover up the crime are part of that. They care more about going on with their lives, like with Deliverance reference. It is interesting that Doudos doesn't want to go to the hospital either. His wound turns bad, but it is always just Nina pushing to get him help. I do like exploring these concepts.

Where I want to then shift would be discussing filmmaking. This uses dream sequences which I'm not always a fan of. Nina keeps having dreams where she sees herself as a witch and on a pyre, waiting for it to be lit. There is a gun that is on fire pointed at her. Visually these dreams and nightmares are stunning. Drugs and drinking are being used so I understand why we get hallucinations. That gives it a surreal feeling. Our writer/director Blanc employs symbolism and visual storytelling techniques that I appreciate. This includes the use of blindfolds that I didn't even consider until a second watch. They look good so credit to the cinematography. It also does well with the framing to develop that isolated feel of where they are. This also has limited effects, they looked good. I'm guessing we have both practically done and CGI. No issues with either. I also thought the sound design and music help build the atmosphere they need.

All that is left is finishing with the acting performances. I've already said that Ricci was good. Marcil, Millaire-Zouvi, Beaupré, Landry and Genois are as well. What I like there is that they're all distinct characters. I recognize each, but they also meld into a hive mind to protect themselves from facing the consequences of what they did. LP is forced to do something, but he also got them into the mess. Ndiaye is good as this catalyst that starts the 'nightmare'. He's also different so that factors in. The rest of the cast are fine to set the stage as well.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my time here. The best part is the visuals. Being able to capture the isolated feel with the cinematography and framing is great. The surreal feel of the dreams and coming to terms with what they've done or the cover up. Acting is good across the board with Ricci leading the way there. I'll also say the rest of the filmmaking aspects are good to help build this atmosphere. Not everyone will consider this to be horror, but I think that it is dark in the tale it is telling. There is also more under the surface, which I appreciate. If that is up your alley, then I'd recommend it. My rating stayed the same, but that's not a knock on the film. It is still above average in my opinion.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

I was super impressed by this movie. The director manages to create a perfect blend of esthetic eeriness and great suspense. The main character is immediately endearing, and before the main title came on screen I was already curious to see where this would all lead.

The cast is particularly strong. Every man portraying an archetype of the male figure, a different flavor of masculinity. The contrast with the main (and only) female lead made every scene portent with quasi sexual tension, but never crossing the expected lines and keeping the audience on its toes.

The film made me think at times of previous classic Quebecois movies like "La bête lumineuse" and "Gina" - not certain if they were inspirations, but I enjoyed the references nonetheless.

Can't wait to see her next projects!

Written and directed by Annick Blanc, Jour de chasse is engaging from the start, where Nina is stranded on a highway and, seemingly with no other choice, decides to join a group of hunters in an isolated cabin. Tension is a sensation not only felt from minute one, but also something on the rise as the story goes on. Nina, surrounded by a group of men she barely knows, illustrates the dichotomy of a new found otherness, someone who, at first sight, doesn't belong. A difference that shouldn't be mistaken by unwillingness, for it is clear that in order to accept and welcome her in the group, a rite of initiation has to be passed.

Jour de chasse evokes individuality, be that proper individuality, that of an individual, or a group's, their collective identity, and how it can serve as a mechanism of continuing with one's life no matter what is happening around. A device furthering hedonism while occluding exogenic realities. This is not the only, at least from a collectively-inclined point of view, pessimistic statement the movie is interested in communicating, social proof is also thematically present. Coined by Robert Cialdini in his 1984 book "Influence: Science and Practice," social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon in which individuals are influenced by others, resulting in their imitating others' behaviors in order to conform. In the context of the movie, as mentioned before, there is a clear escalation of tension, some of it by the unspoken assumed potentiality of something bad happening to Nina, and some by how the situation quickly escalates, leading to unforeseen consequences. Social proof might be the reason behind events as such. The perceived limitlessness of some situations, even when divorced from social normativity, presents a gap difficult to tread, but certainly a possibility in any given situation.

It is clear Jour de chasse is also interested in gender in its depiction of masculinity as something toxic. A toxicity articulated in the overt "manliness" of this group of men and the bachelor party they are having where Nina is also part of. It is unclear what Annick Blanc's intentions are since, by not including other portrayals of gender and resorting to an apparently meta unidimensionality, she fails in exploring the theme enough and instead relies on a caricaturized, cliched portrayal of gender as something, and in doing so mistakenly, not performative but intrinsic. There are, however, moments where the movie contests this idea and seems that it doesn't sustain itself. But ultimately, it feels to be the equivalent of having a debate where your opponent is not present. Something that is better explored in Femme (2023), by Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, and Yorgos Lanthimos' Poor Things (2023).

The situation where the protagonist is, and then where the rest of the characters are, can be looked at as individuals thrown into uncharted territories. In this sense, the movie bears a close resemblance to Ruben Östlund's Triangle of Sadness from 2022. But this is not the only thing in common, there is also power dynamics and their displacement. This is effectively done since it is not only interesting to see but also something that comes completely unexpected.

Rarely do i get out of watching a québécois movie and think to myself: wow, that was NOT what i expected. A gorgeous fable whit so much symbolism and a story line that takes you nowhere close to what you expected, a week after i saw the movie and still think about it everyday. I won't talk about the story here because i believe everyone should go into this film with no expectations or clues but it's definitely a must see movie. Looking forward to what Annick Blanc will take us next. Such a refreshing new voice in Quebec cinema, i truly hope what's next is just as original and mind bending as this one.