Foundational psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud argued that human psychology was driven by two instincts. The life instinct, Eros, fuels sex, reproduction, and pro-social behavior, while the death instinct, Thanatos, produces aggression, self-harm, and other destructive tendencies. While their foundational status is still subject to wide debate, they remain important elements of psychological life in Alain Guiraudie‘s oeuvre. Stranger by the Lake, for example, sees Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) enamored with Michel (Christophe Paou) despite knowing Michel is a very dangerous man. Guiraudie continues the interplay of sex and death in Misericordia, about a man whose return to his youthful hometown leads to an escalating antagonism that spirals wildly out of control. It’s a tense, often funny, surprising outing that shouldn’t be missed.
What is ‘Misericordia’ About?
When Jérémie (Félix Kysyl)’s old baker mentor dies, the young man returns to the town of his youth to honor the deceased. He stays for a few days with the widow Martine (Catherine Frot), who insists he stay in her home. It’s a sweet deal, but his presence angers her hotheaded son Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand), who thinks Jérémie has erotic designs on Martine. After steady escalation (mostly from Vincent), a fight between the two men ends with Jérémie killing Vincent in the heat of the moment. As the local investigation circles ever closer, the former attempts to conceal his crime with the unexpected help of the village priest (Jacques Develay), who provides the young man with an alibi and silence in exchange for his affection.
Jérémie Can’t Go Home Again In The Thrilling ‘Misericordia’
Miseriecordia boasts a strong balance of complicated tones. It’s an intriguing thriller as Jérémie attempts to evade the tightening noose of the law, unable to anonymize himself thanks to being in the center of a small world that knows him well. The tension is well-scripted, amplified by Kysyl’s strong yet often understated performance–he tries to evade suspicion and fly under the radar despite there being nowhere to hide. Except, that is, when he’s rather liberal with the use of his powers of seduction. There’s an everyman charm about him, which is partially why the local priest takes an unreciprocated liking to the increasingly guilt-ridden young gent. The twisty erotic tension is well-used to both provide levity and to complicate and add drama to the situation.
The film has a small world and a fairly small cast, but the rest of the cast capably embodies their characters well. Catherine Frot is warm and layered as Martine. She’s a grieving widow, but yet has complicated feelings when Jérémie enters her life. She predominantly exhibits motherly energy, but also periodically emits subtle vibes that something else, unexpressed, is lurking in the background. Jacques Develay is a strong, kind, but shrewd priest, allowing a riff on themes developed in Strangers by the Lake, only here it’s the priest who falls for a dangerous man, our protagonist. Jean-Baptiste Durand is believable as the simplistic aggressive hot head, Vincent, his characteristic aggression reflecting the other pole of the sex-death typology. It’s a small cast, but each member excels in their role, regardless of their size.
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As a whole, Misericordia works well. It’s a tight narrative that uses its elements and characters well toward largely believable tension. It’s well-paced, gorgeously shot, and engaging. Certain elements do stretch the suspension of disbelief. Jérémie evades suspicion for much longer than one would think as his story changes, and he acts suspiciously. Martine’s possibly willful ignorance is one thing, but everyone seems to be slow on the uptake. Additionally, at times Jérémie’s actions seem amusing but a little odd, like his attempted seduction of Walter (David Ayala), which reads a little odd in its situational context. It’s still a solid drama overall that mines erotic thriller territory in subtly comedic ways without sacrificing tension.
‘Misericordia’ is an Unmissable Contained Thriller
Thrillers, particularly of the erotic variety, are acutely grounded in the most primal human emotions and motivations: anger, hatred, revenge, love, lust. Whether or not the Freudian instincts are meaningfully more central than other human motivators is debatable. These powerful base motivators do produce strong drama in the human experience, however, providing the passions and extreme actions that fuel good thrillers, and Guiraudie uses them well. Félix Kysyl gives layered grounding to Jérémie in Misericordia, providing a character who does something heinous but is sufficiently empathizable and likable to maintain audience pathos. The scripting is breezy and balances complex tones, backed by engaging characters for an elegant tale of crime and conscience. It’s a strong and highly watchable thriller that shouldn’t be missed.
Misericordia comes to theaters on March 21.
Misericordia
‘Misericordia’ is a tight, layered thriller that capably embodies director Alain Guiraudie’s explorations of sex and death.
- Release Date
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October 16, 2024
- Runtime
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102 minutes
- Director
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Alain Guiraudie
- Producers
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Charles Gillibert
Cast
- Small locale notwithstanding, it’s a scenic, technically precise thriller that sets the tone with an immersive look at its setting.
- Félix Kysyl delivers a nuanced but complex role as Jeremie tries to escape justice with nowhere to turn.
- The script balances tension and comedy well overall, with subtle uses of eroticism grounding an interesting look at humanity under pressure.
- As written, Jérémie sometimes gets away with odd behavior, contradictions, or unexplained choices in manners that seem contrived for plot convenience.
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