Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Actor: Charlotte Aubin, Élisabeth Locas, Frédérick de Grandpré, Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Vitali Makarov
Director: Pascal Plante
1. Red Rooms, 2023
Red Rooms is a slow-burn thriller that follows Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy) as she gets drawn into the case of a suspected serial killer in Montreal. She religiously attends every trial, even camping outside the courthouse to secure a seat, and eventually neglects work for it. Her obsession—maybe more than the case itself—is the film’s true mystery. Why is she so invested? What does she have at stake? Does she know the killer? Is she for or against his incarceration? The entirety of Montreal is split between his innocence, and yet the film doesn’t let us in on what Kelly-Anne thinks. This can feel frustrating if you’re used to the instant gratification of fast-paced thrillers, but Red Rooms’ payoff is rewarding. With every passing scene, Gariépy turns increasingly unpredictable which, in turn, makes for an increasingly unsettling watch.