Red Rooms

Greetings again from the darkness. Many of us (perhaps too many) are drawn to the dark side - topics that dig into the ugly side of human nature that Mr. Rogers mostly avoided in his neighborhood. A quick look at the popularity of true crime shows provides proof of the fascination that corresponds to those who don't subscribe to the golden rule. Writer-director Pascal Plante has a track record of film festival success and his latest fits the mold - fascinating to watch with a twist that may have viewers questioning their own assumptions.

Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokus) is a demented serial killer on trial for the murder of 3 teenage girls, ages 13, 14, and 16. He is facing multiple additional charges including sexual abuse, necrophilia, torture, etc. He used 'red rooms' to film these atrocious actions and then sold the recordings for profit. The opening statement from prosecutor Chedid (Natalie Tannous) stuns us with details of crimes, as well as informing us that 2 of the 3 tapes will be shown to the jury. Suspect Chevalier sits quietly in a glass cage as the court proceedings take place. However, the serial killer is not the most interesting character in this story. Seated in the gallery as close to Chevalier as possible is Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariepy) and Clementine (Laurie Babin). We learn that it's common for serial killers to have groupies ... not unlike rock stars, movie stars, and professional athletes.

Each day, Kelly-Anne and Clementine grab their courtroom seats and take in the show. The two form an unlikely and shaky friendship. See, Kelly-Anne is a model and high stakes online poker player. She has a sophisticated, AI voice-activated computer system in her high-rise apartment. In comparison, Clementine is a simple woman convinced that Chevalier is innocent because of his warm eyes. She feels a bond to him, and assumes Kelly-Anne shares this bond and belief.

Filmmaker Plante starts us off in a similar fashion to other courtroom dramas, however this one is also part dark web tutorial and psychological case study - not to mention a peek at cryptocurrency and hacking. Like Clementine, we assume we understand Kelly-Anne's motives, but there is an old saying about when we assume. As the story develops, it's the psychological aspects that hold our attention. Stone-faced Kelly-Anne only rarely offers cracks in her façade, and Plante manages to add tension to online poker and dark web auctions.

This was filmed in Montreal in French language, though we get only minimal shots of the city. Instead, much of the time is spent on close-ups of stoic Kelly-Anne and those eyes that are so difficult to interpret. Almost no gore is shown here outside of a single screen shot inside a red room, and the atrocities are wisely left to our imaginations. However, there is one quite disturbing sequence that finds Kelly-Anne in a specific costume for one day in court. I'll admit to having to Google Kelly-Anne's username to realize that 'Lady of Shallot' is a reference to a Tennyson poem. The end could be described as a twist (depending on your own previous assumptions), and yet also open-ended enough to generate plenty of analysis and debate. Pascal Plante has delivered quite a smart and complex character in Kelly-Anne.

Opened in select theaters on September 6, 2024.