An obscure woman becomes obsessed with the trial of a man who has allegedly committed heinous crimes.
Obsession, depravity, psychopathy and personified evil in a slow-burn horror that might never be fully understood. On the surface, Red Rooms is a slow burn that ostensibly everything takes so long to happen, making one wonder why it is a horror and not a thriller. The first act’s protracted shots verbally introduce the heinous acts of a monster that looks like you and I, but he is not. In parallel, we are visually introduced to the alleged monster, Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), as well as the rest of the key players, such as Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), Clementine (Laurie Babin) and the victims’ parents.
The film’s second act elaborates on those characters, giving us unique perspectives of the seen evil. Chevalier remains entirely unaffected by the charges, Clementine defends him, the parents want to see him burn, and Kelly-Anne… well… that remains a mystery. The two-thirds of the second act is that. The audience is then left with two big question marks. Maybe he looks the part, but has he actually done it? And secondly, why does Clementine defend him with everything she has, and why does Kelly-Anne do everything she does?
Against all odds, writer/director Pascal Plante gradually and patiently makes the second question more important than the first. Kelly-Anne is wealthy, alone, a model, athletic, a poker player, a bitcoin trader, a hacker, an AI expert, and who knows what else she is capable of, and the nights before the trial, she sleeps on the street near the courtroom. Why this person is obsessed with the trial and why she does the things you will see in the film lead to one conclusion… And this is where I need to stop before spoiling it for you.
Plante created a third act that you will not be able to let go. The end credits will be scrolling down, and you will be thinking, “Why?” Her reaction to the content of the third video, her final act, and what she lost and what she gained will be looping thoughts inside your head. You will want to know why. And, arguably, this Red Rooms‘ uniqueness. An exceptionally well-crafted psychological horror for viewers with patience. Hint: Pay attention to why she plays poker.
Eventually, when you let go, it is possible that the film’s main theme might come back and hit you like a hammer. There is an elite out there that pays astronomical numbers to see torture, torture porn, and inhumane acts against innocent souls without a shred of guilt or remorse. And then numerous people from every social and financial class seek it and cannot afford it. Twist: Chances are that we know them. They are our friends, even our relatives. We just don’t know if it is them…
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