It’s rare for a film to get the technology right. And it’s even rarer for that film to be a thriller or horror, where realism takes the place of scares and tension. But red room Mostly available. Nothing takes me out of a movie faster than a tech MacGuffin, which might as well be magic, literally. Yes, the phrase “dark web” will always sound a little silly, but at no point during its 118 minutes does the technology become a distraction.
It’s not the technology that makes red room However, great. This is something that could have easily derailed an otherwise excellent film. The expert tension building by director Pascal Plante drives the film. Very slow burning speed. And the incredible performances of Juliette Gariepy as Kelly-Anne and Laurie Babin as Clementine.
The film primarily focuses on Kelly-Anne, a model/hacker/professional gambler who attends the trial of serial killer Ludovic Chevalier. She befriends Clementine, an admirer of Chevalier, who insists that she is being framed.
Clémentine frantically and loudly defends Chevalier, calling in to the TV show and yelling at reporters outside the courtroom. She makes a spectacle of herself. But Kelly-Anne remains more mysterious, her motives unclear. Even at the end of the film there is ambiguity as to what it was trying to achieve and why.
Ambiguity is what makes Red Rooms so thrilling. The film seems unpredictable. None of the characters seem believable or trustworthy. The world they live in is familiar, yet otherworldly.
The film remains immersed in that restlessness for a long time, due to which you start writhing. Gives you the opportunity to play with all the possible scenarios that can run through your mind. Is Chevalier really a killer? Is Kelly-Anne a killer? Was one of the victim’s mother an accomplice? Is the prosecutor hiding a secret?
The film features a tale of kidnapping, live-streamed torture, and snuff films, before reaching a climax that unexpectedly turns into online poker and Bitcoin mining for legitimate drama. It’s ultimately less about the murders and more about passion, internet bubbles and the media. It almost feels like a serious companion piece to David Fincher’s creation gone girl.
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