Calvaire (2005)

Calvaire, a Belgian horror film known in the U.S. as The Ordeal, is the freshman effort of director Fabrice Du Welz. It was meant to be his homage to such 70’s films as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While it adequately pays tribute to such bygone shockers, Calvaire also carves out its own niche as a well-crafted work about loss, jealousy, and the maddening desire for the unattainable.

We open on Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas), a struggling singer preparing for his performance at a retirement home. He carefully applies his makeup, ensuring that every detail is just right. Even though Marc‘s career is floundering, he still carries on as the consummate professional in the hopes that his big break will be just around the corner. Unfortunately for Marc, the only thing around the corner in this film is a big ‘ol dose of crazy.

On stage, Marc is just the opposite of his normally reserved and distant personality. In fact, he’s so good at selling his enthusiasm that many of the women at the retirement home are quite smitten with the singer. Before he can get back on the road, he has to reject the advances of both a sympathetic resident (Gigi Coursigny) and a sex-starved employee (Brigitte Lahaie).

On the way to a Christmas gig, Marc’s van breaks down just as a downpour begins. Totally lost, he encounters a young man named Boris (Jean-Luc Couchard) who’s looking for his dog, Bella. Boris directs him to a local inn, and this is where Marc has his first encounter with Mr. Bartel (Jackie Berroyer). The inn hasn’t had any customers in a long time, but Bartel still manages to provide a room for his weary guest.

Mr. Bartel seems normal enough at first; he offers to fix Marc’s van and even confides that he was once a standup comedian. But when he warns Marc not to go to the local village, and Marc asks why not, Bartel is nearly moved to tears. Marc opts for a walk in the nearby countryside, and Bartel wastes no time in breaking into the van with a crowbar. Meanwhile, Marc observes some of the less-than-normal mating habits of the locals (think Deliverance without the middle man). From this point on, the utter weirdness of the locals seems to gather and swirl around Marc like a great black cloud.

Du Welz directs the film with the subtlety of an old pro, knowing when to employ unique camera angles to bolster a scene, and when to just sit back and leave things alone. The most memorable scene of the film takes place in the village tavern. An impromptu all-male dance breaks out, and David Lynch only wishes he could come up with something so spectacularly mad. The other noteworthy scene which illustrates Du Welz’s potential as a director involves a wailing Marc being mocked by his tormentors. The camera spins 360 degrees like a deranged carnival ride, pausing only long enough to capture the glee or agony on the faces of the characters.

Du Welz’s choice to restrict the movie’s musical score to only two scenes is also a success. When you finally hear that creepy piano being banged on, it will have your complete and undivided attention.

Lucas and Berroyer both seem comfortable with their parts ,and it’s interesting to watch Marc’s slow transformation from an unattainable object of desire into someone much more submissive and pliable. While his character is always something of a mystery to the audience, it’s difficult not to feel empathy for his extraordinary plight.

At the same time, it’s just as hard not to smile to yourself whenever Berroyer wanders onto the screen (it doesn‘t hurt that he resembles an older Paul Giamatti). Completely consumed with his wife leaving him, Bartel’s madness is thinly disguised in the presence of the young singer. But as time passes, cracks quickly begin to appear in the façade. While many of his actions seem brutal and irrational, there’s also an underlying tenderness to his actions towards Marc.

Calvaire is largely concerned with how memories drive us to obsession (illustrated by Mr. Bartel, Boris, and the elderly Madame Langhoff). What’s gone is gone, and refusing to move on will only result in heartache (or multiple homicides, in this case). On the other hand, it could also be viewed as the most twisted home-for-the-holidays story ever committed to film. Either way, Calvaire is an interesting work which easily surpasses most of the work being done in the modern horror genre.