Golden forest and mushroom picking. To the rituals of autumn, it will now be necessary to add the viewing of the marvelous Mercy by Alain Guiraudie. This feature film, on the border of genres, was presented last May at the Cannes Film Festival, but in the Cannes Première section instead of the official competition. A very discreet launch platform for one of the best French films of the year, and undoubtedly the best work of a singular author.
At the beginning, therefore, a village in the South of France. The camera follows a vehicle down a long road, then through a maze of narrow streets. On board, Jérémie (Félix Kysyl), returning to his native town, Saint-Martial, for the funeral of his former boss, a baker. Very quickly, he found his feet in this area made of isolated roads, stone houses and a forest with majestic trees where we meet out of sight. What could be more delightful than the familiarity of a place where we know every corner and protagonist? Little by little, Jérémie extends his stay with Martine (Catherine Frot), the baker’s wife, which creates friction with her son Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand).
Like The Stranger of the Lake, Mercy seduced by its unpredictability. Alain Guiraudie always goes against expectations and imposed codes, and has fun with archetypes. The apparent banality of the village is an illusion, quickly undermined by the mere arrival of Jérémie. The austerity of the setting and interactions is softened by the aesthetic choices of cinematographer Claire Mathon (My king, Portrait of the girl on fire): the flamboyance of autumnal colors, the softness of deep darkness, the warmth of a modest kitchen. And above all, behind this forbidding title, there unfolds a burlesque delight and a flood of unfinished desires. From the widow to the abbot (formidable Jacques Develay), no one is immune to this erotic and homoerotic charge. Guiraudie’s genius is to confront this multitude of themes, from religious hypocrisy to the question of guilt, in a seemingly outdated setting. Don’t be fooled: Mercy is an unclassifiable and essential object.
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