SAINTS-MARTYRS-DES-DAMNES (CHRISTAL FILMS, 2005)

By Rick Jackson

In his directorial debut, writer/director Robin Aubert celebrates the language of film with Saints-Martyrs-Des-Damnes with its penchant for being a drama, a thriller and a mystery. Its meandering plot threads are reminiscent of the TV series, Twin Peaks from a few years back. Yet its superior storytelling leaves you more absorbed as you try to figure out what is really going on here.

Francois Chenier plays Flavian Juste who is assigned by his boss to cover a story in a town where some mysterious things have been going on for some time. Unbekownst to us, we do not learn the real reason for him going there until the very end.

This only contributes to making it all one of the most intriguing stories ever put on celluloid. The elements of a ghost bride that crosses the road in front of Flavian's car is reminiscent of Tim Burton and, like this apparition, if it is one, slowly arouses your curiosity more and more until you become enthralled by the other elements of horror much later on.

You meet the Malvinas, played by Monique Mercure and Monique Miller. They, too, are enough to make you want to stay in your seat.

At no time is there not anything happening after the pre-credit opening sequence where you are introduced to the main characters.

Once Flavian arrives in town with Armand, certain events begin to build up the drama unfolding, including a clever mystery. It begins with the disappearance of Armand who we learn, after what seems a long time, has been captured by a mysterious figure in white.

With the inclusion of other characters such as Melanie Blackburn, Mede (Mayday), and the mayor of the town, Flavian is persuaded to think that Armand has left town and to forget about him. However, he doesn't believe that he has left and starts to question the townsfolk who are mostly uncooperative.

It is almost a reminder of the 1956 classic film, Invasion of the Body Snatchers in which the townsfolk suddenly become something more out of the ordinary. Unlike it, Aubert's latest changes into a horror-thriller like another classic, The Body Snatcher (1945) where ghoulish goings-on take over.

Michael Arcand's clever editing keeps you on the edge of your seat as you sort things out. You don't know where the story is going to end up next as each twist and turn keeps you guessing.

Cinematographer Steve Asselin underscores the bleakness of the film's title by creating an eerie atmosphere most American filmmakers who like to make strange movies could learn from. His sense of foreboding from the very beginning gets captured right away because you know something is going to happen. Yet, you are never really sure.

Like Aubert, whose direction gives little away, Saints-Martyrs-Des-Damnes becomes an exercise in real terror. The last ten minutes ties up the plot threads nicely. It may shock you if you are not ready, or if you haven't been paying close attention. It is all low key and exciting as it builds up to the unforgettable climax. This is a film with a lot more to appreciate and experience.

March 4, 2006

Copyright 2006 Rick Jackson