A car, following the Tour de France. Children screaming in front of the puppet show. Women, often prostitutes, trying to scream as they are being strangled. Then he will meet Claire, the virgin who will give herself to him, and perhaps deliver him from his malediction. I read some positive reviews of Sombre a few years back; an artful film that delves into the mind of a serial killer. The film received some positive response at various festivals. I’ll give it the artfulness but what about the delving? I didn’t feel like I learned shit about Jean, the films killer. Equally as frustrating is the introduction of beautiful virgin Claire who is compelled to save Jean from his demons. Again, a character I felt I learned nothing about. This film does have its moments, and starts out pretty strong but by the end it left me shaking my head. The film begins with a theatre full of kids screaming, focused on the action before them. We soon learn that what is captivating and frightening the tykes is a puppet show put on by our serial Killer Jean. The film jumps right into Jean’s first kill, which is obscured by blurred and bumpy camera work. The first half hour of Sombre was actually intriguing. Shot without music and very little dialog added nicely to the sense of malice. The blurred and obscured kills are quite effective. Although the kills aren’t graphic the nudity is, and the camera lingers often on women’s vaginas. Jean often remains clothed in these scenes and his victims are mainly sex workers. He bumps his head up against a few crotches like he’s trying to get back into the womb. He does a lot of smelling of hair too. Mother issues? Who knows! Jean’s killing spree across France’s countryside takes place during the Tour De France. There are numerous shots of people gathered along roadsides awaiting the cyclists. Jean also uses the beautiful countryside as a dumping ground for his corpses. When the shaky camera actually settles you can capture the inner struggle of the character. Marc Barbé is actually quite good in the film and is brooding as hell. You can almost see his mood change and darkness take over. An interesting and complex character that you are left to come to your own conclusions about. Claire, an equally complex character is given the same treatment. Claire’s car breaks down and she accepts a ride from Jean who actually delivers her safely to her destination. She meets up with her sister in a department store and Jean follows her inside. The two girls attend a family gathering after which they meet up with Jean. Claire is quite brooding herself and although we don’t know why, it is clear that she is dissatisfied with her life. It is also divulged that she is a virgin. Elina Löwensohn delivers an intriguing performance and displays an impressive array of emotions. Her sister, played by Géraldine Voillat, is the polar opposite. A free spirit and open about her sexuality, she is somewhat of an accessory her
