Monday Night Cinema

Misericordia

(Miséricorde)

When his former boss Jean-Pierre (Serge Richard) dies, Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) returns to the village where he spent his teenage years to attend the funeral. Invited by Jean-Pierre’s widow Martine (Catherine Frot) to stay for as long as he wants, Jérémie’s lingering presence in the family home attracts the ire of Martine’s hot-headed son Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand). Old tensions reignite, and soon an act of spontaneous violence embroils several of the locals in a messy web of lies, deception and willful ignorance.

In Misericordia, Alain Guiraudie (Stranger by the Lake) builds a familiar thriller premise and turns it on its head with lashings of dark comedy and unpredictable narrative swerves. The result is a rich and tricksy film loaded with simmering sexuality and playful social satire.