“An obsession is a way for damaged people to damage themselves more.” - Mark Barrowcliffe
Generally speaking when I use the word obsession to describe an aspect of my life it’s usually in a hyperbolic sense. “I’m obsessed with movies,” I’ll often say. “I’m obsessed with music.” It’s just a way of conveying my love and admiration for a particular medium. But I like to think I have some semblance of clarity and perspective putting things like movies and music in their place, giving them the proper amount of attention, and knowing when to put them aside for other opportunities that may present themselves.
I use the word obsessed perhaps a bit too cavalier and when I see examples of true obsession, like Red Rooms, I realize obsession is truly not the most accurate description of my appreciation of cinema. I love it as a whole, I appreciate the volume of different stories from countless perspectives the world over but obsessed, to be obsessed like the characters of Red Rooms is to create an entirely unhealthy environment for oneself and anyone unfortunate enough to enter such a cloud of questionable behavior and way of thinking. And that’s the point of Red Rooms. When interest becomes fascination becomes obsession. How that manifests itself can vary from person to person but in extreme cases it can become a kind of sickness.
Speaking for America, a fascination with true crime has exploded over the last decade throughout the country. It starts with news reports, then documentaries and then doc limited series. These programs delve into the gritty details of extreme crime predominantly featuring rape and murder. They examine the most heinous human behavior with an almost discomforting amount of excitement.
Enthusiasm is expected but the fever pitch with which these series often reach is a bit disquieting to say the least. I’ve always viewed the country’s obsession as a healthy examination of the kind of human interaction most of us could never imagine partaking in. I just assume anyone who is interested in true crime is so for many reasons but most importantly it’s a vicarious experience that we all hope to never be victims of and I hope never to be perpetrators of. But a lesson learned in life is that for most rules, there are almost always exceptions and that’s where Red Rooms comes in.
Red Rooms is an examination of interest in true crime becoming all enveloping, all consuming to the point of self integration. A woman by the name of Kelly-Anne, gorgeous and employed as a fashion model and by all outward appearances a functioning, normal contributing member of society, has a dark side. The manifestation of her unknown proclivities take form in the obsession over a murder trial that has captured the attention of the entire city of Montreal. A man is on trial for the brutal torture and murder of three underage girls.
Kelly-Anne is singularly focused on this trial and almost nothing else. It becomes widely known that these heinous acts were recorded and auctioned off to the highest bidders over the dark web. Two of the girls’ death videos have been discovered but the third has not. Finding this missing third video consumes Kelly-Anne’s every waking moment. She attends the trial in person and when she goes home searches for information on her computer, always seeking that elusive missing video. Kelly-Anne demonstrates a bizarre desire to insert herself into the trial in some way. To get the attention of the accused would fulfill her. To find this video would allow her to feel superiority over a failing judicial system who couldn’t find this crucial piece of evidence they hope will prove once and for this man in custody is the villainous killer.
What makes Red Rooms so viscerally charged is the expected clashing with the unexpected. By any measurement, this man on trial fits the description of a murderous psychopath perfectly. Physically speaking he is tall, gaunt with sunken eyes and a presence of menace about him. An unfair summation of him perhaps but if he were found guilty beyond reasonable doubt it would make sense.
The juxtaposition of someone like Kelly-Anne, who if judged in the same regard as this man would be considered of sound mind and body, would be like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. She is effortlessly beautiful, gainfully employed, potentially well-off and overall well put together. But her extracurricular activities would showcase an entirely unexpected side of her who is manipulative, dangerously obsessive and hopelessly immoral. He is an example of outward evil, on obvious kind of danger easier to avoid than someone like Kelly-Anne who is an example of inward evil, a person partaking in questionable behavior, using tasteless tactics and inducing chaos for no apparent reason beyond her own motivations which can only be described as insidious. You will never see her coming and will likely never truly understand her reasoning for the questionable decisions she makes practically upending every aspect of her life.
To drive home the depravity of her obsession even more, Kelly-Anne meets fellow true crime enthusiast, Clementine. Clementine is a naive obsessive who views the accused as innocent based on no factual evidence whatsoever. She simply believes in his innocence to her very core. For Clementine it is a dangerous fascination in the same way riding a roller coaster is a safe alternative to more destructive activities hoping to feel a certain emotional resonance.
She views attending the trial in person and scouring over information on the internet is a safe way of integrating herself into the trial. And her ultimate mistake is believing Kelly-Anne shares the same mindset. Clementine quickly begins to realize her association with the trial is nothing like Kelly-Anne’s. And this fact is driven home for Clementine in an encounter with Kelly-Anne and her dark side in front of a computer screen where unsavory things are taking place.
Red Rooms is a visceral, surprisingly violence-free French speaking deep dive into true crime fascination becoming dangerous obsession. Juliette Gariépy as Kelly-Anne is hauntingly vapid in appearance, but demonstrates scarily specific unnerving tendencies that only signal significant mental instability. She is an eerie presence throughout and carries with her a menacing lack of morality. Laurie Babin as Clementine is more of a representation of us if we were to find ourselves exploring these interests beyond the television screen only to discover the lack of a safety net that simply watching true crime documentaries can provide. She perfectly portrays perceived obsession in the face of a true obsessive psychopath. Their contrast is elusive at first appearing to be quite similar only to slowly see that separation form between delusional and outright fanatical.
Red Rooms is completely without violence. It is the subject matter of the trial and Kelly Anne’s actions that make this a disturbing experience. It’s fascinating but twisted, turning the focus of judgement of someone on trial towards those thinking they can watch from a safe distance, anonymously, and still somehow participate. It’s incredibly morbid but undeniably enthralling.
Unrated (R-rated Equivalent): disturbing subject matter, frightening and intense scenes, language and suggestive material
Runtime: 118 minutes
After Credits Scene: No
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
Starring: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos
Directed By: Pascal Plante
Out of 10
Story: 9/ Acting: 9/ Directing: 8.5/ Visuals: 7
OVERALL: 8.5/10
Buy to Own: Yes. Currently streaming on Shudder.
Check out the trailer below: