Misericordia

Jeremie returns to his rural hometown for Jean‑Pierre’s funeral and is immediately caught in a web of unspoken desires. The dead baker’s widow, Martine, clings to him, while his old friend‑turned‑rival, Vincent, broods over the preferential treatment Jeremie received from his parents. As tensions mount—Vincent’s jealousy, Walter’s furtive attraction, and the village’s simmering fascination with Jeremie—the two men clash in the mushroom‑filled woods. In a sudden, unpremeditated burst, Jeremie strikes Vincent, bludgeoning him to death, a moment that feels as accidental as a stray spark in a dry forest.

Panicked, Jeremie buries the body where the murder occurred and constructs a clumsy alibi: he claims a night‑time injury from a fight and later spins a story of a drunken car ride with Vincent that never happened. The local constable, a lone woman, begins to suspect him, yet the investigation stalls. Priest Philippe—who is quietly infatuated with Jeremie—steps in, hinting at a night together and later offering to move the corpse to the cemetery. Their nocturnal escapade is interrupted when the constable breaks in on the priest’s house only to find Philippe and Jeremie in a compromising, half‑pretended tableau, which diverts any further proof.

Haunted by guilt, Jeremie drives to a cliff’s edge, ready to end his torment, but Philippe pulls him back, his devotion bordering on worship. The film ends with Jeremie pressed between Martine’s jealousy and the priest’s affection, the corpse still hidden, and the police powerless to secure a confession. No definitive punishment arrives; instead, the story lingers in a limbo of desire and denial, leaving the audience to wonder whether mercy—or mere oblivion—will ever reach the killer.

Last Updated: October 13, 2025 at 19:17