Availability: In limited release in theaters now; streaming expected October 4. See JustWatch here for future streaming options.
I Am Curious…Red
Billed as a courtroom drama, “Red Rooms” is something else. Yes, there is the gray and white, metallic Montreal courtroom. And a prosecutor in her robes who lays out the case against Ludovic Chevalier, accused of torturing, dismembering, and killing three schoolgirls, live-streaming his work on the dark web’s alleged “red rooms.” Before you stop reading because of the horrific crimes that underlie the narrative, know that these crimes are not the heart of the film, and you won’t see any of the horror. Pascal Plante, the award-winning 36-year-old Canadian director, in this, his third feature, has instead crafted a riveting character study of two young women who, for different reasons, can’t stay away from that Montreal courtroom.
A riveting character study of two young women.
The protagonist is a puzzle from beginning to end, and a type one seldom sees (perhaps only Zoë Kravitz as Kimi in the 2022 film of the same name and Lisbeth Salander of Stieg Larsson’s Swedish crime novels). Kelly-Anne lives mostly in the dark of her high-rise, gray and black and, again, metallic apartment, her few rooms lit by the refrigerator bulb and the glow of the metropolis.
Above, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) in her dark rooms, face lit by the glow of her double-monitor computer screens, the room lit only by the city outside.
Does Kelly-Anne have a value structure that goes beyond playing poker or disdainfully flicking the avocado out of her salad?
The only piece of “furniture” in Kelly-Anne’s living room is a two-monitor computer, on which this striking woman shows her prowess for online poker and bitcoin maneuvering, for hacking just about anything (including the code for a door entry miles away), often at the same time—the consummate multi-tasker. A loner—a role usually inhabited by rogue, on-the-spectrum men, understood to be crime-prone—Kelly-Anne has no friends, no significant other, and no pets. She plays racquetball by herself (a version of “bowling alone”). Kelly-Anne’s day job is as an “edgy” model, yet another way in which she distances herself from whatever might be her essence, her “self.” Who is Kelly-Anne, the film asks, and what is her interest in the trial? Does she have a value structure that goes beyond playing poker or disdainfully flicking the avocado out of her salad?
Right, the cold and beautiful
"edgy" model, Kelly-Anne (Gariépy).
The statuesque, beautiful, impeccably dressed, hyper-rational, cold Kelly-Anne is the yang to short, plastic-faced, emotional, sometimes dumpy Clementine’s yin. Kelly-Anne takes Clem home with her—as if she were a specimen to be observed—after the two meet as obsessed courtroom observers of the high-profile trial. Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne and Laurie Babin (like the director, both Quebecois) as Clementine play off each other in physical attributes, emotional valence, technical knowledge, and humor. In her imperfect English, Clem shows the un-funny Kelly-Anne how to have her digital assistant Guinevere tell jokes. Clem wears her morality of her sleeve. She seems disturbed by amoral Kelly-Anne’s poker playing, even though the game she plays on sitting down to lunch pays for that meal for both of them. Kelly-Anne explains how she finds weak, emotive players to exploit, and “I clean them out.” Exceptional acting by Gariépy and Babin makes a fascinating story out of what could be a routine dance of differences.
Left, the plastic-faced, emotive Clementine (Laurie Babin).
There’s the possibility—as in classic buddy films with seemingly incompatible twosomes like “Green Book” (2014 ) or “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)—that the dissimilar women will learn from each other, perhaps even arrive at a meeting of the minds, a shared perspective on the issues raised by the courtroom spectacle. The talkative Clem is a supporter of Chevalier, seeing him as a victim of social-media memes and a duplicitous or at least incompetent government—shades of MAGA. When asked why she is a dedicated observer at the trial, Kelly-Anne replies simply, “I’m curious,” and she meets Clem’s arguments with her own, based on “the facts.” Will their differing concerns and approaches intersect?
In Plante’s uncluttered film, there’s just one other character of significance, a 13-year-old victim’s mother (Elisabeth Locas), who represents all the parents in condemning the silent Chevalier’s (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) “groupies.”
Plante’s script is from the laudable “show, don’t tell” school of screenwriting.
Plante’s direction is sparse in some ways—none of the characters has a back-story, Chevalier never speaks—and rich in others—the camera lingers over the expressions on Kelly-Anne’s face as, illuminated by the computer screen, she reacts to what we cannot see. Plante’s script is from the laudable “show, don’t tell” school of screenwriting.
Exploring in depth the contemporary internet age—with red rooms, bitcoin, hacking, gaming, AI, conspiracy theories, pornography, sex and violence—presents a challenge, one met in this unusual and riveting production, with its well-crafted script, compelling performances, and an ending one can’t predict.
She says: Called a cyber-thriller, it’s more mystery than thriller.
He says: Another exploration of the inner life of a cold, rational woman. Warmth is what we want.
Date: 2024
Director: Pascal Plante
Starring: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos
Country: Canada
Languages: French (with English subtitles) and some English
Runtime: 118 minutes
Other Awards: 14 wins and 26 other nominations
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