A woman is obsessed with the high-profile case of a serial killer. Reality blurs with her morbid fantasies as she goes down a dark path to get the missing video of a victim. A film by Pascal Plante, starring Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Chagnon, Guy Thauvette, Frédérick De Grandpré, Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, and Maxwell McCabe-Lokos.

On 12 September 2022, Kelly-Ann (Juliette Gariépy), an aspiring model, attends the trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), a convicted serial killer known as Démon de Rosemont (Demon of Rosemont). The trial, led by Judge Marcel Godbout (Guy Thauvette), is scheduled for a two-month hearing where members of the jury will decide whether the defendant is guilty or not guilty of the charges laid against him: three counts of first-degree murder, abduction, confinement, sexual assault causing bodily harm, committing an indignity to a corpse, and production and distribution of obscene materials.

Yasmine Chedid (Natalie Tannous), the Crown Prosecutor, presents to the court the names and photos of three young girls, Kim Leblanc (age 16), Justine Roy (age 14), and Camille Beaulieu (age 13), whose bodies were discovered at Chevalier’s former home. This discovery led to his arrest in relation to these crimes. Although Ludovic Chevalier denies all allegations, the prosecution believes he murdered these girls and filmed them in his studio or garage for a private, paying audience who watched live in a “Red Room.” An FBI agent found two videos of Kim and Justine on the dark web, but the third video remains missing. In these videos, a masked man commits horrible crimes against the girls. Experts believe the eyes, biomechanics, and physiognomy match Chevalier’s, but this evidence isn’t conclusive proof that the man in the videos is definitively him.

Richard Fortin (Pierre Chagnon), the defense lawyer, makes an argument against Chedid’s allegations to persuade the jury. He claims that the police, the investigator, and the Crown Prosecutor are presenting all the evidence in a way that suggests Chevalier is the monstrous murderer in those videos. But in the end, all they will have is a heinous crime, which is undeniable, and the assumption that it was Mr. Chevalier. He implores the members of the jury to look at the facts. How can they be absolutely certain that Chevalier is truly the person who committed those crimes, since it’s impossible to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt?

At the end of the trial’s first day, several news reporters approach Kelly-Ann as she leaves the courtroom. A reporter asks her motivation for attending Demon of Rosemon’s trial. Kelly-Ann mumbles a response, that she’s curious about the case and wants to see Chevalier in person. But the reporter quickly loses interest in her due to her slow response and her neutral expression. The reporters move from Kelly-Ann and flock around Clementine (Laurie Babin), who believes Ludovic is innocent, claiming the videos are illegally obtained. She believes Ludovic is framed by the real killer and the videos were fabricated to pin him as a murderer.

Kelly-Ann returns to her apartment in a high-end residential building. She’s a lead model for Dress To Dare, that often hires her for product shoots. She also earns income from high-stakes online poker. She instructs Guenièvre, her AI assistant, to check emails and schedule a Saturday photoshoot. Kelly-Ann then takes a shower before heading to an alley near the courthouse, where she sleeps until morning to be among the first in line for Chevalier’s trial.

The next morning, Clementine wakes Kelly-Ann, who says she was just passing by. Clementine offers Kelly-Ann a cup of coffee, claiming the barista messed it up with sugar. Initially suspicious, like anyone offered a drink by a stranger, Kelly-Ann politely declines, explaining she doesn’t drink coffee. She suggests Clementine return the coffee to the cafe for a proper one and offers to hold her place in line while she does. Despite Kelly-Ann’s mostly silent demeanor, they form a tentative bond over their shared interest in the Chevalier case. Clementine does most of the talking, while Kelly-Ann listens.

Intrigued, particularly by the youngest victim, Camille Beaulieu, whose video evidence remains missing, Kelly-Ann scours the internet for information. She finds the victim’s mother’s name, Francine Beaulieu. Kelly-Ann then searches Facebook and finds Francine’s email address. She uses this email address on “have I been pwned?” and downloads the data, which contains Francine’s email password. After retrieving the password, she logs in to Francine’s email account and obtains the WiFi network name and password from Francine’s mailbox.

Clementine runs into Kelly-Ann after Kelly-Ann’s Saturday photoshoot. Curious, Kelly-Ann asks Clementine what she’s doing there since the trial resumes on Monday. Clementine reveals she’s strapped for cash – Montréal hotels are expensive – and might have to sleep on the street. As Clementine walks away, Kelly-Ann wrestles with the decision of whether to help. Eventually, she invites Clementine to stay with her. The encounter, which doesn’t seem entirely coincidental, adds another layer of mystery to both characters. We’re left wondering if either Kelly-Ann or Clementine has a hidden agenda.

Written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante, LES CHAMBRES ROUGES (RED ROOMS) is a gripping psychological thriller that delves into the dark side of humanity. The protagonist exhibits signs of mental illness, possibly autism, which may explain her peculiar behavior.

While the story initially suggests the protagonist is obsessed with the serial killer or the brutal murders themselves, she rarely expresses her true feelings or emotions. Her routine life feels mechanical, almost clockwork. Despite her unsettling behavior, she displays intelligence, building an isolated computer to train her AI locally.

Her expertise in computers becomes crucial as the narrative transforms into a detective story. Determined to find the missing video of the third victim, supposedly conclusive evidence of Chevalier’s guilt, she embarks on a relentless pursuit.

Juliette Gariépy delivers a mesmerizing performance. I love how the story unfolds, and how everything in this film feels so realistic without resorting to visceral images. We can imagine the horror through the genius sound design and the aftermath of the events through the characters’ dialogue. RED ROOMS is likely one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve seen in recent memory.

RED ROOMS premiered at KVIFF on 4 July 2023. LES CHAMBRES ROUGES was theatrically released in France on 17 January 2024.