Pascal Plante’s Les chambres rouges (“Red Rooms,” 2023) is a labyrinthine film punctuated by Juliette Gariepy’s incandescent portrayal of Kelly-Anne. Her performance elevates her to the pantheon of cinematic icons, such as Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander, Sharon Stone’s Catherine Tramell, and Rosamund Pike’s Amy Dunne. Gariepy’s Kelly-Anne is a complex enigma who commands the screen.
The film revolves around a high-profile trial stemming from the brutal murder of three young girls. Plante masterfully shrouds Kelly-Anne’s connection to both the victims and the accused in ambiguity. While she is presented as a fervent advocate for the bereaved families, her true motives remain elusive, casting her as a morally ambiguous figure.
This article delves into Kelly-Anne’s role as a purported healer for the families shattered by this tragedy. By dissecting her actions, we aim to illuminate her character and unravel the intricate tapestry of Plante’s narrative.
Spoilers Ahead
Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges, 2023) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“Red Rooms” opens with Kelly-Anne waking up in an alley. Later, we see her heading toward the courtroom to witness the trial of Ludovic Chevalier. He is convicted of three counts of homicide as the Maitre Chedid explains that he has brutally killed three young girls named Kim Leblanc, Justine Roy, and Camille Beaulieu. The static shot lasts for more than 20 minutes until the end of the opening statements. The trial is going to unfold over two months as Kelly-Anne looks at Camille’s mother, Francine.
Later, while Kelly-Anne exits the courtroom, she finds a woman named Clementine talking to the media. The woman says she believes that Ludovic is innocent and that all the proof Maitre Chedid is talking about is fabricated or placed only to protect the real murderer. Soon after, we see Kelly-Anne entering her sophisticated apartment with a brilliant view. She starts searching for clues related to Ludovic’s case. Her agenda clearly shows which side she is on, and she wants to get to the bottom of it.
Why do the Police Catch Ludovic in the First Place?
During the opening statement, it is revealed by Maitre Chedid that Ludovic allegedly recorded the murder of the three innocent girls only to sell them on the dark web. This whole thing is known as ‘red rooms,’ where a certain kind of people pay a lot of money to livestream these kinds of things. The police were able to find Kim and Justine’s videos. However, Camille’s video remains unseen. The first report came in after eight months of constant search from the day of the disappearance of the three girls. Their remains were found in Ludovic’s yard.
Ludovic had already left the house at the time when the new tenant found out about these and reported them to the police. From that point onward, the investigation brings forth enough evidence that works against Ludovic. Even the video footage clearly shows that the masked man has blue eyes, just like Ludovic. All the gestures of the masked man are identified by experts who are certain that the person in the video is him. Right after the first hearing, Kelly-Anne starts her own research and finds Camille’s house address after a while.
How do Clementine and Kelly-Anne Become Close?
Soon, we learn that Kelly-Anne is a professional model, and is quite popular within her circle. She works in a mechanical manner and strictly maintains her diet. Her interest in Ludovic’s case has yet to be disclosed. At this time, she meets with Clementine. She believes that Ludovic is innocent and that she can go to any extent to prove that. Clementine doesn’t have much money. She has traveled to Montreal only to witness the trial. Kelly-Anne sympathizes with her condition as she allows her to stay in her apartment.
Kelly’s loneliness perhaps has something to do with this. However, the way she functions is quite out of her character to help Clementine. But this is where Plante’s work is impressive. He does not bind Kelly in any linear process, as we can see that Kelly is very unpredictable. One time, you feel like Kelly will be frustrated with Clementine for her immature behavior. However, right at that moment, she laughs at her and cherishes the kid that resides within Clementine. She even starts to guide her on how to channel emotions whenever necessary.
Why does Clementine Decide to Leave?
Around this time, after a certain gap, the court decides to see the video clips of Kim and Justine. However, this will be held in a closed room where only the members of the victims’ families are allowed to stay. So, eventually, the people who are only there to witness the trial need to leave the courtroom.
Clementine does not want to remove herself, but she realizes that Kelly already has the clips. When Clementinee tries to understand how Kelly can possess the clips, which are definitely illegal, she says that she knows where to look. This means that either she has someone inside the police department or she has access to the dark web. Since this is a very high-profile case, the first possibility is near impossible. Anyway, Kelly warns Clementine not to see the clips because no human being should ever see such gruesome things happening right in front of their eyes.
Clementine watches the first clip anyway, where a room filled with blood and a masked man is seen. Clementine looks into the eyes of the masked man. She pauses for a while as she does not want to see the second clip. Kelly plays it anyway. Soon after, Clementine tells her that she will not witness the trial anymore as deep inside her mind, she has already found her closure. Clementine leaves Montreal hoping to get back to her home and start afresh.
Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges, 2023) Movie Ending Explained:
Why does Kelly-Anne Dress as Camille?
Kelly is seen multiple times in court, causing her image to appear in the news. This becomes disastrous for her career. Consequently, she faces numerous rejections from her clients who do not want someone involved in shady business. However, at this point, nothing matters to Kelly anymore apart from seeing the trial through.
By now, she understands that the trial is going nowhere, as the defense is only buying time for Ludovic. So, one day, she decides to put on a disguise and confront Ludovic directly inside the courtroom. She puts on makeup like Camille. When she removes her jacket inside the court, she is seen wearing the exact uniform that Camille was wearing before she disappeared.
This causes chaos in the courtroom as the police drag her out. At that moment, Ludovic looks at Kelly for the first time and waves goodbye to her. Ludovic welcomes the cosplay, but this proves nothing in front of the jury. However, the main reason behind this is something that Plante has brilliantly portrayed. From here on, we delve deeper into Kelly’s psyche. Until this point, Kelly has worked as someone who wants to bring justice and provide some relief for the victims’ families.
Kelly sacrifices her whole career for this moment. But why? We have seen Kelly as a woman of perfection. Everything she does is pitch-perfect and has a reason behind it. She even customized her voice service so that her information does not float on the cloud. She knows that once she pulls off such a stunt, she will lose all of her contracts. Even so, she seeks closure, a closure that will give answers to her queries.
Kelly does not know any of the victims personally. But she wants to understand how Ludovic felt before committing such gruesome acts, as seen in the clips. She wants to relive the moments she has seen in the clips. The only way to do this is to recreate the memories he had during that time. So, she takes on the disguise only to make Ludovic look at her the way he looks at Camille.
Why does Kelly-Anne take Selfies on Camille’s Bed?
Now that Kelly-Anne has seen Ludovic’s eyes and how he looked at Camille, all she needs is Camille’s video to compare those vicious glances and achieve closure once and for all. Skilled at poker, she gambles one last time and wins the required amount for Camille’s clip from the dark web. She watches the clip, the most heinous among the three, and amidst her utmost grief, pain, and hate, Kelly-Anne finds solace in knowing she has single-handedly proved Ludovic is the killer beyond any doubt.
Since she has attracted attention, Kelly-Anne’s house is now under surveillance. A tech-savvy young woman, she manages to tamper with the CCTV and exits her apartment unnoticed. Later, she goes to Camille’s house, hacks into the Wi-Fi to open the smart lock, and places the pen drive with Camille’s footage inside. Before leaving, she takes a couple of selfies in Camille’s room. This scene suggests several theories.
As I aim to simplify the ideas here, I will focus on the most fitting theory. I view Kelly-Anne as the perfect protagonist, and this theory is a tribute to her. Regardless of whether Kelly-Anne is a gray character, here is my interpretation:
Kelly-Anne may have experienced abuse at some point in her life. Upon learning about this case, she finds the clips and scrutinizes them closely. She knows Ludovic is the killer, but closure eludes her. The three clips are like three puzzle pieces, each making the pixelated image of Ludovic clearer. Kelly-Anne sacrifices her career to see how Ludovic’s eyes look when he sees Camille or someone like her.
The chance to obtain the third piece of the puzzle arises. Kelly-Anne bets everything, with luck favoring the determined. She watches the clip, revisits Ludovic’s eyes, and finally gets her closure. Ludovic is the killer. She embodies Camille one last time. She goes to Camille’s house, enters her room, lies on her bed, and takes a selfie. This is Kelly-Anne’s way of patting Camille on the back, saying, ‘This is your victory! Smile, now!’ She even wears braces, wanting to admire everything about her.
To Kelly-Anne, Camille is a fighter, someone who fought for justice even after death, helping Kelly-Anne with the luck to win the bid and obtain the video clip. She celebrates Camille’s memory by becoming her, and before leaving the room, Kelly-Anne ensures Camille’s bed is neat.
What Happens to Kelly-Anne?
At the end of the film, we see Ludovic has pleaded guilty right after Camille’s video is revealed inside the courtroom, all thanks to Kelly-Anne, there is basically no way out for him. Clementine addresses herself as Ludovic’s lover, ex, of course. However, she regrets falling in love with such a man. Back at Kelly’s room, we see a glitch on Kelly-Anne’s desktop. What exactly happens to Kelly is quite hard to tell because, in a manner, she is perhaps transcended to a different world as her job is done for now. She has perhaps completely ghosted herself, or maybe she has gone to Clementine. We may never know.
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