I’m a fan of foreign films or movies set in other countries rather than the United States. Even if the plot or story is a bit odd or different, then normal stories would be here. Not to say that i’m saying American movies are better, but they are easier to follow along with for the most part. Misericordia is a French subtitled mystery thriller directed/written by Alain Guiraudie. In the hands of an American director and / or screenwriter, it may be pretty straightforward, but here it has an odd/weird way about it.

Jeremie Pastor (Felix Kysyl) returns home to Saint Martial, a little quaint town in France, to attend his boss’s funeral. While there, he ends up staying with the mother of an old childhood friend. This causes problems for him with the son of the man. Two other men get involved in the feud. Another old friend the main character hasn’t seen in a while and a local priest. The three hit it off in each of their own ways. It doesn’t change how the son of the woman treats him, though. It’s a hostel environment that comes to a tragic end for one of them.

This is a classic story of jealousy by one man who is suspicious of the other. They haven’t seen each other in years, so why the man came back to his childhood home is odd to the other towns folk. Add in the resentment of some and the friendliness of others and you have a combustible situation. This town is pretty sleepy normally, but this feud between the two of them wakes everybody up. Truffle hunting is a hobby they have, and it plays into the overall story because characters go off and talk in the woods together. This adds more tension to the plot.

I felt this story was perfectly paced and had just enough characters in it to make me care about what was going on. People are different from when their kids are from what they are as adults. Past resentments can linger in someone, especially if they don’t trust another person’s motivations.The mother figure adds to that, and the priest has his own motivations. This could have been a play in a way, but it’s set and staged on location in a little French town instead. The setting is perfect for all the goings on in this story.

The cast was pretty decent, with each of the ensemble having their own moments to show viewers who and what their characters are here for. Pastor , the main character, was very interesting to me. I haven’t seen him before that I can remember, but I liked his demeanor within the context of the story.The same goes for all four of the other cast members.  They all represented something within the film, and it made sense that they were here. I genuinely enjoyed all the back and forth between everybody, especially during scenes at a table at the mothers house. These were particularly fun to watch unfold.

This movie reminded me of a sitcom like Three’s Company or something like that. Where you have a small group of people going in and out of rooms and opening and closing doors. That’s the feel I got from this film. The setting was obviously different from a three camera setup on a soundstage in LA, but you know what I mean. The back and forth and too and fro between the characters had rhythm to it, and it kept me entertained.  Even in the dark woods or when characters were driving cars, there was a snappy rhythm to what was going on. That’s fascinating in this type of mystery thriller.

Misericordia was presently enjoyable to me. I liked the main character a lot. Also, all the supporting characters quite a bit. They fit into this weird ensemble quite nicely. The setting of a small French town worked as well. There was something about this mystery thriller that reminded me of a rom com with a small cast. I remember those days when I was a kid. The three camera setup was the norm back then. I recommend this film to anybody who likes foreign movies as well as those who like a good story with very good acting from its cast. You might even get a laugh out of it from time to time.

3 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen