From French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie comes a most peculiar film that attempts to blend Jérémie, thrills, and awkward comedy in an absolute mess of a movie that never works and feels pointless. I love a good French film. I have been a fan of French cinema since I watched my first French New Wave Film (Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows). This particular movie comes nowhere near the magic of that movie or pretty much any French film I have ever watched.
Jérémie Pastor (Félix Kysyl) returns to his home village for the funeral of his former boss. Nearly all his former “friends,” colleagues, and acquaintances treat him very differently upon his arrival. As Jérémie gets reacquainted with them, things eventually go very violently. Though Jérémie seems to be in no hurry to leave, he frantically attempts to cover up the crime for which he is under suspicion.
When the movie begins, it seems like a typical, “You can’t go home again.” type of story. However, as Jérémie’s story spirals out of control, it goes into some very bewildering and absurd territories. That is why this film never finds a sure footing. It is like the writer/director, Alain Guiraudie, didn’t know what kind of movie he wanted to make. The bizarre tonal shifts from dramedy to thriller to absurd comedy left me confused, disoriented, and dumbfounded. While the story does have its intriguing moments, the whole affair plays out like an utter disaster.
For the most part, the cast plays everything very straight-faced, and had the filmmaker chosen the comedic lane, it probably could have worked as a bizarre dark comedy. But because the director seemed indecisive about what he wanted from his film, the entire story falls apart. I cannot recommend Misericordia at all. I can’t even recommend it as a curiosity piece or a case of horrible but entertaining cinema.