filmbore pick of the week - 7 Days

7 Days

Director: Daniel Grou
Screenplay: Patrick Senécal
Starring: Claude Legault, Rémy Girard, Martin Dubreuil, Fanny Mallette
Year: 2010
Language: French
UK rental release: August 2010

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Something a little darker this week, with French-Canadian thriller 7 Days: a tale of revenge, despair, heartbreak and a whole week of torture!

Slobbing around in his messy, boarded up house is Detective Sergeant Hervé Mercure (Rémy Girard, Incendies, The Barbarian Invasions). A lonely man, steeped with depression, he sits in silence as he watches a curious video of CCTV footage, of where we see an innocent bystander being shot by an armed robber. There is a clear connection between him and the victim.

We switch to a hospital. Operating on a patient's back, using his expertise in key hole surgery is Doctor Bruno Hamel (Claude Legault, Sticky Fingers, 10 1/2). A loving father, husband and dedicated surgeon, he's gifted with a wonderful family. Life is, clearly, very good...

Yet, on this morning everything will change. His eight year old daughter, Jasmine (newcomer Rose-Marie Coallier) leaves to make her way to school but never comes home. She didn't turn up at school either, so a police search commences.

Jasmine's wounded, still body is found in a nearby field, raped and murdered. Unable to cope with such a barbaric event, in the wake of it all the relationship between the parents becomes tenuous. Sylvie (Fanny Mallette, Continental - a film without guns), mother of this broken family won't open up to Bruno, leaving him to grow notions of his own.

Mercure has some news for them, however. They have found the murderer, with some strong evidence backing up their claim; it's pretty much a closed case. The killer is Anthony Lemaire (Martin Dubreuil, L'affaire Dumont, La Run), previous charged with sexual assault in another town, yet this time round the evidence was there to stick and convict. The likely sentence for his crimes doesn't quite satisfy though. Bruno's head is swimming with dark thoughts, craving further justice for the evil dealt to his daughter by this disgusting individual.

He starts to prepare for his revenge. His full focus is on causing the killer pain in order to, in his eyes, do right by Jasmine. Sylvie thinks he's going back to the hospital while he sets up a lair to fulfill his needs. Enrolling locals into his plan, he kidnaps Lemaire and the games begin. But Mercure wants to find Bruno before he kills a killer. 

There's an odd and unexpected art house feel to 7 Days. This vibe is delivered through some creative filming. 

With uncomfortable close-ups to add tension, slow zooms framed with local surroundings, lots of patient, locked-off shots to garner further effect and smooth pans, gradually coming into focus it's instantly a treat on the eyes. There's a moody template maintained throughout too. A cool-blue colour scheme, while encapsulating mild browns and office greys, coats the whole film with a unified feel.

Speaking of feelings, there's no ignoring how heartbreaking this tale is. With Patrick Senécal, adapting his own novel for this intriguing movie, it's quite brutal and honest. If the gore the film is dressed in later on doesn't shock you, I can guarantee that the reveal of Jasmine corpse will.

It's at this point that I must deliver a warning: this is not for the faint of heart! Don't let this put you off however, as this isn't you run-of-the-mill shock-fest, but a deeply emotional and tastefully shot film, especially when considering the nature of the material and the forthrightness of the images.

Some of this directness shapes itself through the presence of gore, of which this film holds no punches. It's heavy and extremely realistic. The violence is visible for all to see. The effects here are a huge achievement, with very authentic make-up. You can't see the handy work at all, and you forget that you are witnessing the combination of prosthetics, cover up and dyed fluids. Take note, however, that the bloodiness here isn't necessary flooding the screen.

As blunt as it is, it is also discreet in it's delivery, only showing its gore-soaked face at brief moments. In particular, a scene where Bruno operates on Anthony, along with its gruesomeness, is impressively genuine in look and texture. This stripped down approach only benefits the techniques used even further...there's no smoke screen, with each bloodied instant as naked as our victim. 

The torture methods used are increasingly more inventive as the days move forward. As they become more nefarious, proportionately so does Bruno's ego. He has become a shell of a man...a shadow of his former self. His transformation from gentleman to beast is a pure, if disturbing sight to behold, even in it's reserved conveyance. This is thanks to a wonderful portrayal by Claude Legault, who is very contained. He is cold through most of the movie; steely in his presence. The other cast members are strong also, especially Martin Dubreuil, as Anthony Lemaire, who is the polar opposite of Legault's Bruno: through fear and despair, he is electric and explosive, breaking to every act dealt to him.

Through these reprehensible feats undertaken by our lead, this film delves deep into the psyche of a grieving parent, revealing some of the ways you may react to such an atrocity. In this case, the prominent response being a vengeful, if astonishingly planned out event; meticulous in every detail. Bruno is unparallelled in his drive and is determined against all odds to punish the man who shamefully destroyed both his wife and his own life, as well as extinguishing their daughter's.

Guilt is another driving force in this picture, realised in different ways by both parents. They feel responsible for what happened to Jasmine, as any mother and father naturally would in such circumstances, but what's addressed here is the manner in which they respond to their self-generated remorse. They also view their respective partner as aiming blame at themselves for that horrific event, but interestingly this mutual condemnation of their own souls manifests itself in contrasting externalisations and distances them from each other even further.

Yet, throughout these core themes the burning question is: What lengths you are willing to go for revenge? With 7 Days, you question what is right - the justice system or your own human instinct to dish out justice in your own brutal way. You cannot condone the cruelty that starts to thrive within Bruno's veins, no matter how despicable and putrid an individual like Lemaire is, yet there are still moments between the depraved actions of this grieving father to see the crumbling of his spirit as he comes to term with the loss of his daughter and the fury that engulfs him. 

He cannot quench his thirst for avenging his daughter and he gradually becomes consumed by hatred in his quest to cope with the atrocious way in which his child was taken from him, leading to a poetic ending to a strangely beautiful and overall powerful film

From the trailer and DVD cover, 7 Days is painted as a horror but it's much more than that. It feels more like a psychological drama, with humble notes of thrillers garnished over it's platter of fusioned genres. With sensational, if subtle effects, delicious performances and deep-rooted emotions drawn out within it's subject matter, it's clear that it's not your average slasher-thriller. 


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