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Directed by Daniel Grou, Starring: Claude Legault, Remy Girard, Fanny Mallette, Martin Dubreuil, Rose-Marie Coallier. Horror/thriller, French Canadian, 105 minutes.

DVD UK release date: 23rd August 2010 (Certificate 18) (E1 Entertainment) (sub-titled)

Middle aged surgeon Bruno Hamel (Claude Legault) and his wife Sylvie live happily with their 8 year old daughter Jasmine in a quiet suburban town in Quebec. One day, after Jasmine fails to return home from school, she is found brutally raped and murdered in the local fields. Unable to cope with the aftermath of his daughter’s death, Bruno is intent on revenge, and plans to capture the murderer (Anthony Lemaire, played by Martin Dubreil), torture him for 7 days, and then execute him.

Following the horrifying discovery of Jasmine’s body, the police find semen and DNA evidence at the scene of the crime, and arrest Lemaire. Meanwhile, as the parent’s struggle to come to terms with the loss of their daughter and the grief, this puts a terrible strain on the relationship between Bruno and his wife. Bruno’s emotions in particular gradually turn towards anger and the quest for revenge.

Bruno prepares methodically and thoroughly, and manages to plan the successful kidnapping of Lemaire. He takes him to an isolated and remote cabin in the woods, following which the ‘7 days’ begin. The key part of the film is the interaction between Bruno and Lemaire, and the ensuing violence. This is interwoven however with scenes of the police as they desperately try to locate Bruno before the 7 days is up. The torture scenes themselves are effective and brutal, as Bruno shows no emotion towards Lemaire. Shot in a matt monochrome style, and with no music, this also adds to the overall bleakness which sets the tone of the film.

Told in a dark and uncompromising fashion, this is an intelligent film. Whilst the premise of the story will draw some comparison with other films, the themes of loss and grief are as important as Bruno’s compulsion to take revenge. Shot with a fairly small cast, all of the actors are superb, especially Legault and Dubreil, but also Remy Girard in an important role as the police inspector. The film also has a ‘is he right or is he wrong theme’ in what Bruno is doing (ie Lemaire is a child murderer/paedophile, but does he deserve what he gets?).

Adapted for the screen from the book ‘Les Sept Jours Du Talion’ by Patrick Senecal, this is both a challenging and absorbing film, and well directed by Daniel Grou. Highly recommended.

Extras: Trailer.

Dino Marabase.

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