| Misericordia | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Alain Guiraudie |
| Producer: | Charles Gillibert |
| Cinematography: | Claire Mathon |
| Editing: | Jean-Christophe Hym |
| Music: | Marc Verdaguer |
| Studio: |
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| Runtime: | 102 minutes |
| Language: | French[1] |
| Gross: | $1.5 million[2] |
Misericordia is a 2024 thriller film written and directed by Alain Guiraudie. It stars Félix Kysyl and Catherine Frot.
The film premiered in the Cannes Premiere section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2024, where it competed for the Queer Palm. It was theatrically released in France on 16 October 2024, by Les Films du Losange.
Jérémie returns to his hometown of Saint-Martial to attend his former boss's funeral. He stays for a few days with the widow Martine. His presence angers her son Vincent. This causes a fight between the two men, which ends with Jérémie killing Vincent. He manages to conceal his crime with the unexpected help of the village priest, who provides him with an alibi in exchange for his affection.
The film was produced by Charles Gillibert at CG Cinéma, in co-production with Scala Films, Arte France Cinéma, Andergraun Films (Spain) and Rosa Filmes (Portugal).[3]
Principal photography began on 30 October 2023 and wrapped on 15 December 2023. The film was shot in southern Aveyron along the border of Gard.[4] The village of Sauclières was used as the location of the film's fictional Saint-Martial setting. The film was also shot in the nearby villages of Millau, Nant and Saint-Jean-du-Bruel. Other scenery included the Dourbie gorges, the Mont Aigoual forest and Suquet ridge.[5] Claire Mathon served as the director of photography, after having worked on the cinematography for Guiraudie's earlier films Stranger by the Lake (2013) and Staying Vertical (2016).[6]
Misericordia was selected to be screened in the non-competitive Cannes Premiere section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 20 May 2024.[7] Shortly after, Sideshow and Janus Films acquired the North American distribution rights.[8] International sales were handled by Les Films du Losange, which also theatrically released the film in France on 16 October 2024.[9] Karma Films is scheduled to release theatrically the film in Spain on 3 January 2025.[10]
The film made its North American premiere at the 51st Telluride Film Festival.[11] It also screened in the Special Presentations programme of the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival,[12] as well as in the Main Slate section of the 62nd New York Film Festival and the official selection of the 69th Valladolid International Film Festival (for its Spanish premiere).[13] [14]
The film had its South Asian premiere at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, where it was screened in the World Cinema section.[15]
On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.9 out of 5, based on 34 reviews from French critics.[16]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Queer Palm | Alain Guiraudie | [17] | |
| Valladolid International Film Festival | 26 October 2024 | Golden Spike | Spanish distributor for the film | ||
| Best Screenplay | Alan Guiraudie |