or Misericordia
starring Félix Kysyl
directed by Alain Guiraudie
102 minutes
in French with English subtitles
Jérémie (Félix Kysyl) returns to the small town bakery where he used to work. The baker died recently and Martine, the baker’s wife, would like Jérémie to take over the business. Vincent, the baker’s son, who is about the same age as Jérémie, accuses Jérémie of trying to sleep with his mother. Jérémie tries to shrug off Vincent’s accusations but words lead to fists and before he knows it Jérémie has killed Vincent.
Jérémie buries Vincent body in the woods where they fought. Annie, Vincent’s wife reports him as missing. Jérémie was the last one to have seen Vincent alive and everyone from the local priest to the local police have questions for him.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this movie. At one point, after Jérémie killed Vincent, I thought the movie was going to turn into something resembling The Talented Mister Ripley but it did not. Jérémie is no Tom Ripley. He seems to have very little agency or control over his life.
It took me a minute to figure out that Jérémie was not the dead baker’s son but his former lover.
The priest is a real piece of work. He acts hapless and takes advantage of Jérémie.
It feels like there there was a lot here bubbling under the surface.
I’m really not sure what to make of the way the movie ended. Ironically, Jérémie winds up in bed with Martine, just as Vincent feared he would, but that irony in and of itself is not enough to satisfy me. My best guess is that this is a cautionary tale to gay men: if you don't take control of your life then you are going to end up like this.
Maybe I missed something here or maybe this just isn’t my kind of movie but I was left scratching my head and shrugging my shoulders when it ended. I have yet to piece together enough of the bits that make it up to feel like it is worth recommending to anyone.
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