Calvaire

CALVAIRE is a type of southern-comfort-gone-wrong tale (that is, anything from DELIVERANCE to HILLS HAVE EYES) in a typically French scenario. The "ordeal" of the title is that of a young traveling singer (Laurent Lucas) whose van breaks down in a deserted mountain region, on Christmas Eve, near a hostel run by an affable yet creepy Mr. Bartel. It does not take long to find out that the innkeeper is totally out of his mind, and director Fabrice du Welz is much more explicit in depicting the sexual implications of Bartel’s obsession. Compared to the fate that awaits the unfortunate protagonist, that of poor Ned Beatty in DELIVERANCE is kids’ stuff. Du Welz has a keen eye for composition, and the way he injects weird elements into the story makes CALVAIRE the promising debut of du Welz. (Roberto Curti)