Misericordia 2024 H264.1080p Magnet
18/10
Returning to Saint-Martial for the funeral of his late boss, Jérémie’s stay with widow Martine becomes entangled in a disappearance, a menacing neighbour and the dark intentions of an abbot. The film had been widely predicted to appear in the Official Competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival but was instead placed in the Cannes Première sidebar. Mercy takes its time to roll and when it starts rolling, there is no containing the laughter until it builds in the final shot. With very gentle humour sprinkled throughout the film, it tells the story of a taciturn man who visits a village to attend the funeral of a mentor. There he meets his mentor’s wife, his son and a priest, all of whom seem to be saying something other than what they have in mind. What I love about Mercy is how it suddenly switches its writing to make the viewer laugh, all in a deadpan style. It reminded me of Deerskin (2019) and The Bra (2018). (Seen at the 2024 MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.)