Writer/director Alain Guiradie’s latest film is patly marketed as a comic thriller, which widely misses the mark on a nuanced character study of the residents of an insular French village. Adapting his own novel, Guiradie tracks a lonely, sexually fluid man’s return to his rural hometown for the funeral of his beloved former mentor. Once there, and with no other obligations to get back to, Jeremie attempts to fall back into the rhythm of the town, remaining slightly out of step due to his prolonged absence.
Buy Misericordia Blu-rayIf you’ve ever lived in a small rural town, the story will be particularly relatable. Everyone knows everyone else’s business, they’re all just a bit too familiar with each other, and think nothing of dropping by homes unannounced for impromptu visits. It’s painful to watch Jeremie’s fumbling efforts to reclaim his place in town, especially when it becomes obvious he has no intentions of leaving anytime soon. One minute he’s making an ill-advised pass at his former best friend’s current best friend, the next he’s cozying up to the widow of the deceased, while spending the rest of his time drifting aimlessly through the woods in search of rare mushrooms, for want of something better to do.
The “thriller” aspect comes into play when his encroachment on the village finally causes his territorial former best friend to snap, leading to a physical altercation in the woods that results in the death of the friend. Suddenly faced with covering up a murder in a town where everybody is always watching, Jeremie hastily buries the corpse in the woods and continues his ingratiating campaign on the villagers. Guiradie intentionally keeps Jeremie’s backstory a mystery, generating ambivalence about the murder as we weigh the justifications of both parties.
There’s nothing particularly funny in the film, it’s more a measure of how uncomfortable we become with Jeremie’s stumbling attempts to find his place. Large swaths of the film go by without dialogue, with Guiradie following the solitary lead on his daily misadventures while relying on frequent closeups to capture the lightly expressive reactions of the stoic community members.
Guiradie seems to be invested in exploring the inherent hypocrisy of small towns that profess to be conservative bastions. This is most evident in the portrayal of the local priest who knows Jeremie is guilty, offers sanctuary rather than condemnation, but reveals his own longing for Jeremie, making his silence potentially conditional. It’s also revisited in Jeremie’s relationship with the widower (and mother of his murdered friend), generating a deeply conflicted living arrangement as she morphs from surrogate mother to possible lover to aggrieved conspirator. Guiradie doesn’t offer any easy answers to Jeremie’s plight, but his perceptive crafting of fascinating characters makes for a richly rewarding tale.
The Blu-ray arrives as part of Criterion’s growing Criterion Premieres collection (previously Janus Contemporaries), offering the same packaging presentation as the mainline Criterion Collection minus a spine number. The film is presented in 2.39:1 aspect ratio with 5.1 surround sound. As a fairly new film, no restoration was needed, and the transfer offers pristine image and sound. The Blu-ray highlights the film’s warm fall tones and peaceful environmental soundscape, with Guiradie adeptly capturing the pastoral beauty of the poor provincial town. Aside from the trailer, the sole bonus feature is a 17-minute Criterion-exclusive interview with Guiraudie where he discusses the production, his casting process, and his past films, providing enlightening insight into his approach to filmmaking.
