Red Rooms (French: Les chambres rouges) is a 2023 Canadian psychological thriller film written and directed by Pascal Plante. The film stars Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Chagnon and Guy Thauvette. The film's production was first announced in November 2022. Red Rooms premiered at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival on July 4, 2023, and had its Canadian premiere as the opening film of the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival. It was released theatrically in Canada on August 11, 2023, to acclaim from critics.

Plot

In Montreal, fashion model Kelly-Anne attends the trial of Ludovic Chevalier, accused of broadcasting his murder of three teenage girls in a "Red Room", a chat room on the dark web where people pay to watch snuff films. The case has become a media circus and attracted the attention of both the press and "fans" of Chevalier, some of whom believe he is being framed due to his meek nature and kindly demeanor. Although the FBI has turned over two snuff films to the Canadian authorities, the killer's use of a balaclava throws Chevalier's identity into question, despite damning evidence such as the girls' corpses being found buried in Chevalier's backyard. Kelly-Anne bonds with one of Chevalier's neurotic "fans", Clementine, a younger woman who hitchhiked to Montreal to attend the trial and who has been living in a homeless shelter due to lack of funds. After the two women grow close over their shared fascination with the case, Kelly-Anne invites Clementine to live with her for the duration of the trial. While Clementine passionately defends Chevalier, Kelly-Anne remains distant and taciturn during their conversations. Kelly-Anne reveals the majority of her income comes from online gambling. She further reveals a proficiency in computer technology, having programmed her own AI, which she has named Guinevere. Unbeknownst to Clementine, Kelly-Anne has begun cyber-stalking Francine Beaulieu, the mother of Camille Beaulieu, Chevalier's youngest victim and the only girl whose snuff video has never been discovered. On the day that two of Chevalier's snuff films are to be played, the court is cleared of everyone except the victims' families. An upset Clementine expresses disappointment that she will not be able to see the films, which she believes can prove Chevalier's innocence. Kelly-Anne reveals she has already obtained and watched the films via the dark web, and that they contain proof Chevalier is the killer. Kelly-Anne and Clementine return to Kelly-Anne's apartment, where they watch the videos together. Kelly-Anne points out the masked killer has Chevalier's distinct blue eyes and unusual gait. Clementine begins weeping at the brutality of the videos and the revelation that Chevalier is guilty. Disturbed, Clementine decides to skip the rest of the trial and buys a bus ticket home. As she leaves, Clementine asks Kelly-Anne why she is so fascinated with the case and Kelly-Anne cannot reply. On Chevalier's birthday, Kelly-Anne comes to court wearing the same design of schoolgirl uniform Camille was murdered in, wearing a wig and colored contact lenses to further resemble the girl. Kelly-Anne is forcibly ejected from the courtroom. As she leaves, the normally stationary Chevalier waves and makes eye contact with her. That night, Kelly-Anne's modeling agency fires her, many of her clients having seen news of her stunt. Kelly-Anne makes contact with a hacker on the dark web who has obtained Camille's snuff video and who is planning to auction it off. After proving her identity and ability to bid, Kelly-Anne is welcomed into the auction. Though the bidding initially rises above what she can pay, Kelly-Anne wins a last-minute hand of poker and uses the proceeds to win the snuff film. Suspicious that her activities have been monitored via Guinevere, Kelly-Anne destroys the AI in her blender and then watches the video of Camille. The same night, Kelly-Anne uses information obtained about Camille's mother on the dark web to circumvent her home's smart locks and break in. After posing for selfies in Camille's room while wearing her schoolgirl uniform, Kelly-Anne leaves a flash drive containing the snuff film in Camille's mother's bedroom. Some time later, a news broadcast reveals that Camille's mother turned the flash drive over to the police; Camille's snuff film contains footage definitively proving Chevalier is the murderer. It is also revealed that bitcoin records showing Chevaliers profits from the snuff films were turned over anonymously, implied as having been done by Kelly-Anne. He pleads guilty and his trial comes to a close. Back home, Clementine gives an interview to a journalist in which she describes herself as an "ex-groupie" and expresses regret for having supported Chevalier, saying she can now only think about his victims.

Cast

Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne Laurie Babin as Clémentine Elisabeth Locas as Francine Beaulieu Natalie Tannous as Maître Yasmine Chedid Pierre Chagnon as Maître Richard Fortin Guy Thauvette as Judge Marcel Godbout Maxwell McCabe-Lokos as Ludovic Chevalier

Production

Principal photography took place in Montreal in 2022 over 23 days.

Reception

= Critical response

= On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 78 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Anchored by Juliette Gariépy's superb portrayal of self-destructive obsession, Red Rooms is a haunting and timely trip down a particularly morbid rabbit hole." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

= Accolades

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References

External links

Red Rooms at IMDb