Red Rooms (Les Chambres Rouges)
Written and Directed by Pascal Plante
Starring Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babi, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos
Unrated
Runtime: 118 minutes
In theaters September 6

by Tori Potenza, Staff Writer

Film is a visual medium, so the more you can show without needing to tell, the stronger the film is, usually. Although if the film in question is dealing with particularly sensitive or graphic content and the filmmaker is not trying to make a particularly gorey film, you need to find creative ways to make the audience feel the gravity of the situation or circumstances. And I do not think I have seen a film that pulls this hat trick off as well as Red Rooms does. Pascal Plante manages to create a tense and deeply disturbing thriller that centers on a dark web myth, balancing a difficult tightrope walk and blending show and tell in a way that a general audience member could consume.

One of the more disturbing elements of the mythical dark web, is the idea of “red rooms,” places where sickos can watch people be tortured and killed live for their entertainment. The idea alone is enough to send a chill down your spine. Plante’s film centers around a high profile court case in which a man named Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) is on trial for the murder of three young girls, all of whom had their gruesome deaths filmed for one of these red rooms. The details of the case are so disturbing that it has the country in an uproar. While most people believe in Chevalier’s guilt, there are also those who advocate for his innocence, “groupies” as they are referred to. We watch the case unfold through the eyes of Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), a mysterious onlooker who attends all of the court hearings, but little is known about her or what has her so invested in this case.

It has been almost a year since the first time I saw Red Rooms, when it was showcased at last year’s Brooklyn Horror Fest, and I have thought about it many times since. I still remember the feeling of having my eyes glued to the screen while I clutched my chest and tried to breath. Few films, not even horror films, have left me feeling so shocked, vulnerable, and on edge. It truly is thrilling. And it feels like a perfectly tuned machine, all of the elements working perfectly in sync to evoke strong and visceral emotions from the audience. For a film with very little gore or violence to distill that kind of fear and make the audience feel so unsafe is pure film magic. The direction, cinematography, performances, writing, score, all of it comes together to unease you in every way.

For those who might be uncomfortable with this type of story, it is understandable. But Plante knows how to give his audience just enough so that the terror mounts and the appropriate feelings bubble to the surface without seeing any violent acts. There is one scene at the beginning that is just of the prosecuting attorney describing the acts of violence the girls were put through, and the description alone is enough to make you feel nauseous. Similar to recent films like The Zone of Interest, it is not about what you see, but what you hear. Even seeing the bright red reflected in Kelly-Anne’s face as she watches one of the videos, and you hear the screams of an innocent victim, almost feels like you are being exposed to too much. Even as someone who enjoys some of the darker and more disturbing side of horror it still left me shaking by the end credits.

Much of the uncertainty and terror also comes from the central performance of Juliette Gariépy. For as much time as you spend with Kelly-Anne, you have little idea what her investment in the case is or if she is just another one of the defendant’s groupies. You can feel that she and the case are connected and that the climax of the film hinges on her actions, but you’re constantly left wondering how everything will turn out and what she aims to accomplish. Gariépy gives a stoic performance and shows very little emotion, giving you just enough dialogue to be left wondering. She is a watcher and takes in all that is going on. Even on rewatch there are very little clues to what she has planned. It is an incredible performance that makes you long for more and a very interesting depiction of a neurodivergent brain.

Red Rooms is a methodically crafted movie that uses all the elements at its disposal to put you in a state of unease. The uncomfortable long shots and slow camera movements makes one feel like they are trapped until the film decides to release you. Even in the more mundane moments of the film, you are still completely engaged, constantly looking for clues as to what all of this is mounting to. Building that level of tension, uncertainty, and unease is a craft in and of itself, and I hope to see Plante bring this engrossing level of detail into his future projects. While the film hits differently on rewatch, a second viewing also gave me time to appreciate so many of the little details that clue you into its main character and the trajectory of the story. I highly suggest seeing this on the big screen, and I look forward to more moviegoers to feel their blood run ice cold just as mine did.