Over the next two weeks, I’ll offer up my top ten movies of 2024.

If you’ve been reading my posts from the last few weeks you probably have an idea of which films will show up here. But in these entries, I’ll spend a little more space explaining why.

Best Films of 2024
#10. Red Rooms

The third film by Canadian writer/director Pascal Plante, Red Rooms is a taut psychological thriller that examines society’s fascination with true crime. It follows a woman, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), who spends her days attending the trial of a man accused of torturing and killing three teenage girls.

Kelly-Anne’s motives aren’t clear. Does she believe the accused is innocent, like some of the groupies attending the trial? Is she trying to solve the case herself (she’s a computer expert who’s familiar with the dark web sites the killer frequented)? Or is she just morbidly fascinated by the horrifying nature of the case?

Just like his script, Plante’s camera doesn’t take sides. He patiently and clinically documents the trial as well as a friendship Kelly-Anne develops with another regular attendee. The film’s bravura opening is a 20-minute uninterrupted take depicting the opening arguments of the prosecution and defense.

Despite the lurid subject matter, no violence is depicted onscreen. But the film does feature the most chilling scene I saw all year. I won’t spoil it here, but if you watch the movie you will know exactly what I’m talking about.

Red Rooms has been likened to work of David Fincher, because of the serial killer subject matter as well as the methodical direction. It’s an apt comparison, but I don’t want to diminish Plante’s accomplishment by lumping it in with other great work. This is a unique achievement that deserves to be singled out.