Misericórdia

Swiss director Fulvio Bernasconi transports a Swiss policeman. Thomas, to Canada in the province of Quebec where he befriends and stays with indigenous people.

When one of the young boys is killed in a traffic accident, he vows to find the culprit, because the mother can't bury her son until the guilty party apologises for his death.

Thomas himself is hiding from a stark reality in his life. Moreover, the entire community is upset and gets drawn into the rage. They, more than the unfortunate Mukki's relatives, are bent on revenge.

Although Miséricorde is in essence a suspense movie, it transcends the genre, because it primarily deals with loss, tradition and custom, relationships and the human psyche. Loneliness is an inherent part of every being. It also takes an incisive look at how different people and races act in the face of tragedy, danger and death.

The characters are all well-drawn, including a pregnant policewoman (somewhat reminiscent of the Coen brothers' Fargo), her father, a disgruntled elderly uncle, Thomas himself (played by Jonathan Zaccai), and various others. The actors embody these characters with conviction and sincerity. Marthe Keller in a cameo as a grandmother is rather fetching.

As mentioned, tradition plays an important part, despite everyone employng modern technology. A spiritual advisor has to guard Mukki's body and keep on annointing it. The result is cinema that keeps you in suspense yet at the same time is quite touching.

All in all 90 well spent minutes. 8/10