Piling on the abuse of a narcissistic perverted ex-boyfriend and a condescending superior, a young single mother working for Loto-Gold is sent to the depths of nowhere to interview a strange hermit. The uncompromising new millionaire will be the one to finally push her over the edge in spectacular fashion.
The title doesn’t lie. In Jour de merde, everything goes wrong. This refreshing proposal from Kevin T. Landry, infused with dark humor, undoubtedly has its place in the current cinematic landscape. At the crossroads of genres, the film focuses on loneliness and injustice in a perfectly original way.
The story is set in what we guess is an isolated house in a Quebec forest, which will be the scene of an encounter that is both incongruous and rich in twists and turns. The strange and captivating characters are enhanced by a funny and daring script, signed by the director himself. The choice of the opening song, Brain softened, by Lisa LeBlanc, brings smiles and sets the tone. What better than the words of the Acadian queen to humor a fiasco?
Maude (Eve Ringuette), a single mother who works at Loto-Gold, introduces herself to Gaétan (Réal Bossé), a sullen and surly man who has just won the lottery. His goal: to interview the curmudgeon, give him his check, and drive him back to town. A mission which will turn out to be much heavier than expected and which will give rise to both comical situations and scenes of horror.
Eve Ringuette is the great revelation of this feature film, in which she brilliantly embodies a woman “on the edge” for whom bad luck multiplies. And what about the character of his playing partner Réal Bossé, Gaétan, a much more complex being than he initially lets on. They will slowly tame each other in an agonizing tango very well played, suggesting the complicity of the performers.
If such stories can sometimes fall into the trap of rudeness, this is far from the case here. The skillfully balanced visual and auditory distortions translate the daze into which the protagonist sinks as the story progresses, thanks to a neat and flawless production.
