MISERICORDIA

(Check out Matt Delman’s Misericordia movie review, it’s in theaters now! Seen it? Join the conversation with HtN on our Letterboxd Page.)

Misericordia is quite the title for a film, and learning that it’s a Latin word meaning ‘Mercy’ makes it even better. Mercy is shown to our protagonist Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) by many of the townsfolk in director Alain Guiraudie’s (Stranger by the Lake) new hilariously horny murder-cover-up master-work. My favorite character has got to be the priest, but the strength of the film is all a testament to Guiraudie’s writing and direction. A singular vision, Misericordia mixes tones effortlessly, and works on so many levels–it is somehow fun, haunting and sentimental all at once.

Opening with a POV shot from a car on windy roads signals the twistiness of this story. Jérémie (who now lives in Toulouse) returns to his childhood town for a funeral, and has a strong connection with the widow, to the dismay of her adult son Vincent (Jean Baptiste-Duran). The two men have an escalating rivalry that comes to a head in a forest filled with Morels. Though the police get involved, Misericordia never lapses into a crime procedural. Guiraudie is more philosophical in his writing, such as in a brilliant confessional scene between Jérémie and the priest. Later they fake an affair to provide an alibi for Jérémie, in one of the funniest scenes of the film. You could say the priest is an upstanding member of the community.

Guiraudie’s dialogue is near perfect, economical, and the pacing keeps you glued to the screen. There are many beautiful shots of nature, but this is not slow cinema. At one point, one of the neighbors shoots a rifle at Jérémie after kicking him out of his house for putting on his underwear and making a pass. Another fabulous scene forces Jérémie to eat an omelet made by Vincent’s mother, filled with mushrooms found growing near her son’s buried body.

Reuniting with cinematographer Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) who also shot Stranger by the Lake, the photography evokes a timeless quality, like something out of a story book. It’s tempting to say the film is laden with dramatic irony, but that is not the case since it feels like every single character knows what really happened. The genius of the story is how they react to it, and to Jérémie, whose reappearance has cast a spell over their town. I won’t spoil his best lines here, but they deal with death, love, guilt and of course, mercy. If the world seems out to get you, watching Misericordia may talk you off a ledge.

– Matthew Delman (@ItsTheRealDel)

Alain Guiraudie; Misericordia

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