It has already been receiving rave reviews out of London Film Festivals and the other festivals it has screened at; now, Red Rooms has screened at Brooklyn Horror Festival. Directed by Pascal Plante, Red Rooms follows model Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) as she becomes fixated on a high-profile murder trial. It is the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) who is being charged with having abducted and murdered three teenage girls in violent and horrific ways. I6t is a grisly case, with Chevalier also accused of having live-streamed and recorded his crimes. Given the young age of the victims and Chevalier’s plea of not guilty, the entire country is hooked on the trial, but none quite as intensely as Kelly-Anne.
As the trial gets underway, Kelly-Anne spends her days with a front row seat in the courtroom. Then, in the evening she goes back to her sterile apartment, scouring the internet for more information. Kelly-Anne’s obsession with the trail has turned her into an aspiring internet super-sleuth, demonstrating some rudimentary hacking skills. She uses these abilities to try and piece together the facts surrounding the case, but where her allegiances lie in relation to Chevalier are unclear. This ambiguity raises discomfort in the viewer, and as Red Rooms progresses, it becomes harder to understand the psyche of Kelly-Anne. She is a complex character who challenges the viewer constantly. Gariépy’s performance is brilliant; so much of Kelly-Anne is communicated nonverbally. A woman of few words, Kelly-Anne is fascinating to watch, and whilst she is glued to Chevalier, the audience are stuck on her.
Another character who is easier to understand is fellow trial fanatic, Clementine (Laurie Babin). Clementine is steadfast that Chevalier is innocent. She is forever spouting conspiracy theories, whole-heartedly believing him to have been framed. Clementine is the perfect representation of the armchair jury, those who read the news and make-up their own narratives. Her stubbornness to concede that Chevalier is guilty on any level is frightening, but worse than that, she is an accurate reflection of society’s obsession with serial killers.
Pascal Plante has cooked up a wicked story that is immediately powerful. Opening on day one of the trial, the audience is placed within the confines of the jury box as both the prosecutor and the defence do their opening statements. The prosecutor goes first and sets the scene for the jury and audience perfectly. She explains the facts and the more she reveals about the case, the more uncomfortable the viewer becomes. As she mentions the existence of the torture tapes, your blood runs cold. That the defendant is nonchalantly picking his nails gets blood boiling, but he has not been found guilty yet and so the viewer, like the jury, have to become impartial to watch the film play out.
As grotesque as the actions of the killer are in Red Rooms, Plante does not inflict visual trauma onto the viewer. Instead he lets the words, and occasional sounds, speak for themselves. The mind fills in the gaps between the two and creates a macabre mental tapestry that is hard to shake. Although he is restrained with gore, there are several jaw-dropping moments. The most powerful of these occurs in the courtroom and will leave the viewer sat in shocked silence. That such a simple sequence can hit as heavily as it does demonstrates Plante’s prowess at crafting both tension and surprise. Plante also manages to highlight the darker sadistic side of the internet. Red Rooms ventures into the Dark Web, and gives a more accurate portrayal than many other films.
Filled with shock and awe, Red Rooms is exceptional. Plante utilises some interesting elements from the horror genre to ensure that this terse courtroom drama punches the viewer in the gut and leaves them reeling. With several moments that will get trapped in your psyche, Red Rooms manages to be more effective than several big name genre movies, making it a contender for most discomforting film of the year.
Red Rooms
Summary
A riveting and unflinching drama that analyses society’s obsession with true crime. Red Rooms might not push as hard as some will be hoping for in terms of gore, but by leaving the worst to the imagination, it ensures that Plante’s movie will get under your skin.
Red Rooms was reviewed at Brooklyn Horror Festival 2023.
