Mortelle Raclette // By François Descraques. With Faustine Koziel, Jessé Rémond Lacroix and Bérangère McNeese.
In the vast landscape of French film productions, certain works arouse curiosity and expectations through their apparent originality. Deadly Raclettea medium-length film by François Descraques (The Visitor of the Future), is one of them. With an intriguing title and a concept that mixes slasher parody and absurd comedy, this film had all the cards in hand to surprise. Unfortunately, this is a broken promise, a shaky exercise that struggles to convince, both in its humor and in its execution. The initial pitch, although original, was enough to arouse interest. In an isolated mountain chalet, a team of young actors is filming an eco-responsible porn film entitled “Tire-Fesses”.
The heir to an X-rated film company decides to change the genre by hiring, for his new film “TIRE-FESSES”, an intimacy coordinator also trained in eco-responsible filming. A first for her. And for the team she will support. But the small troupe, filming in an isolated Savoyard chalet, will quickly find themselves cut off from the world by a snowstorm and a wi-fi outage.
The project, as improbable as it is unusual, is intended to be in line with environmental issues: wooden accessories from the Vosges and an intimacy coordinator supervise this curious filming. An idea which could have given rise to a biting and offbeat satire, but which quickly collapses under the weight of superficial and clumsy writing. The rest of the story plunges into a series of mysterious murders, with an attempt to fuse schoolboy humor and horrific suspense. However, neither really works. The scenes supposed to provoke laughter fall flat, and the moments of tension struggle to establish themselves, due to a lack of effective staging. Comedy, the cornerstone of Deadly Racletterelies on an accumulation of puns and cinematic references.
While a few lines may make you smile, the majority of the jokes are as heavy-handed as they are predictable. Far from being punchy or innovative, these witticisms give the impression of academic humor, devoid of subtlety. The characters, for their part, are locked in caricatures that are too rigid to be endearing. The pompous film director, the naive and immature actor, or the caring but invasive intimacy coordinator: each is confined to a stereotypical role which limits any possibility of surprise or development. The result is an overall dynamic which quickly runs out of steam, due to a lack of truly new ideas. Where the film could have shined is in its horrific dimension.
The slasher is a genre which, although marked out, offers numerous opportunities to cleverly subvert the codes. However, here, the isolated mountain setting is barely exploited. The majority of scenes take place in a single room, which severely limits immersion and visual variety. As for the murders, they are too spaced out to maintain a sustained pace and sorely lack impact, even in a parodic register. Far from being frightening, these sequences also struggle to provoke the slightest burst of surprise or fear. What disappoints most in Deadly Racletteit’s the feeling of untapped potential. The concept of an eco-responsible porn film that turns into a nightmare is an idea that could have given rise to a singular, daring and memorable work.
Unfortunately, everything seems limited here: the storyline, the characters, and even the ambition of the project. Director François Descraques, known for his creative work on The Visitor of the Futureseems to have opted for the easy way out with this medium-length film. Far from being a sharp satire or a daring comedy, Deadly Raclette is content with a superficial approach which fails to fully entertain or leave an impression. With a duration of approximately one hour, Deadly Raclette could have benefited from a more dynamic pace and a tighter narrative. However, even in this short format, the film feels like it drags on unnecessarily. Some passages seem filled to reach a minimum duration, while others are rushed without real care.
This clumsy management of time reinforces the idea of an unfinished project, like a sketch never transformed into a finished work. The young actors brought together for the film, including Jesse Rémond-Lacroix and Esteban Vial, show goodwill. Their acting, deliberately exaggerated in the fake porn filming scenes, suggests a certain energy. However, once they have to adopt a more serious tone, their performances lack conviction. This contrast highlights the limitations of the casting, which perhaps deserved better direction to take full advantage of its potential. Not everything has to be thrown away Deadly Raclette. The film benefits from some fun ideas, notably in the way it plays with cinematic codes.
Certain movie references, although sometimes forced, manage to make informed spectators smile. Likewise, the very concept of an eco-porn-horror comedy remains sufficiently original to intrigue. Finally, the brevity of the film can be seen as a quality: by not stretching out any further, it avoids falling completely into boredom. In summary, Deadly Raclette is a work that could have surprised with its audacity and originality, but which ends up disappointing with its lack of ambition and its clumsy execution. Neither truly funny nor truly frightening, the film leaves an impression of unfinished business, like an abortive attempt to combine satire and horror. For those looking for an absurdist comedy or an offbeat slasher, other titles will likely prove more satisfying.
Note : 3/10. In short, a TV movie that misses its target. Too bad because the idea was good and there are some very funny moments.
Released on December 25, 2024 on myCanal
