Red Rooms

Everyone has obsessions, and while most just cost us money and time, some obsessions though can be much more costly. As you read that statement, I’m sure you thought about where your own obsessions fall within it and what you may have lost because of it. For me, the loss is mostly money, but I know people whose infatuation have cost them friendships and even connections with family, all because of something or someone. Red Rooms looks at the power of obsession and the lengths we will ultimately go to feed it.

One of the biggest murder trials is about to begin in Quebec, in which a man named Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) is accused of killing three young girls. Among the family members of the victims in the courtroom is a woman who seems out of place. That woman is Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), and it’s unclear what has brought her here in the first place. Kelly-Anne’s life is pretty regimented; she lives in a sterile apartment where, at night, she plays online poker. While she seems to make a good living from that, she is also a model whose face appears on certain websites. At first, we don’t know the reason for her attendance, but she is dedicated, sleeping in an alley each night to be in the courtroom daily.

It is only when she meets Clémentine (Laurie Babin), a woman who believes in Chevalier’s innocence, that things start to come out. Kelly-Anne takes a liking to Clémentine and even invites her to stay with her as they both attend the trial each day. However, Kelly-Anne is not just there out of curiosity; she has a much deeper interest than it first appears, and soon we see the places her obsession will take her.

Written by Pascal Plante, Red Rooms never blinks as it tightens its screws and delivers a story about those who try to rationalize an interest in dark topics. Plante never makes excuses or tries to explain his character’s actions, even as they cross into unsettling territory. It is because of that choice that Red Rooms can be a deeply unsettling experience, acting as a character study on those who worship serial killers. With that choice, Plante has found a way to creep us out a little, but also to offer a fresh perspective on stories like this.

Red Rooms is a stylish and smart thriller that pulls back the curtain on the public’s fascination with serial killers. This movie isn’t about providing answers to why people are into true crime, but it definitely makes you stop and think about it. This film is both intensely provocative and viscerally uncomfortable, and while it is at times difficult to watch, it is even harder to ignore. As for performances, Gariépy is gripping as Kelly-Anne, as you watch and wonder if she is about to take a deep dive into darkness. Although a decent amount of the film takes place in a courtroom, Red Rooms is not about the outcome of the trial; instead, it is more about Kelly-Anne’s transformation and her skirting the edges. Ultimately, Red Rooms gives you a sickening, knot-in-your-stomach feeling without an ounce of bloodshed and will leave you full of thoughts, dark or otherwise.