By Sarah Musnicky
The latest addition to famed French horror duo Julien Maury's and Alexandre Bustillo's repertoire is THE SOUL EATER. Nestled in the heart of the crime thriller genre, the film scales back on the extremism they've been known for. Written by Annelyse Batrel and Ludovic Lefebvre, THE SOUL EATER delivers darkness, a reminder that the worst of humanity reveals itself in its handling of the most vulnerable.
Hardened detective Elizabeth Guardiano (Virginie Ledoyen) arrives in a small isolated village from the city to investigate a series of violent and gruesome deaths. At the same time, Franck de Rolan (Paul Hamy) arrives just as Guardiano gets in to investigate a series of disappearances focusing on children. On the surface, it doesn't seem like their cases would have much in common, but as more clues surface, their cases soon become intertwined.
The small village itself has seen better times. Formerly, it was a hotspot for tourism, with many coming in to take in the sanitorium for respite. Now, it's mostly forgotten, with its occupants going through the motions. An airplane crash recently put them on the map, adding further tension between the locals and the outside detectives. But it's not until the two arrive that any progress is made.
Blurring the lines between the supernatural and reality, THE SOUL EATER will remind viewers of True Detective: Night Country. The French TV series Black Spot (Zone Blanche) may also come to mind, with the handling of local legends fusing in with the crimes of a small isolated town. While Maury and Bustillo make it clear by the film's end where things stand, the massaging of supernatural elements into the screenplay enables viewers to speculate successfully along the way.
Grounding things out is the character work laid out by Batral's and Lefebvre's writing, Maury's and Bustillo's direction, and the nuanced performances delivered by Virginie Ledoyen and Paul Hamy, respectively. Ledoyen's Elizabeth plays things close to the chest. She has a hardened exterior that aims to protect the wounded interior that steadily gets picked apart throughout THE SOUL EATER. As her opposite, Hamy's Franck is all emotion and intuition. The gender roles are reversed here, providing fascinating contrasts and expectations.
The design of the titular Soul Eater blurs the face, allowing its metaphoric nature to be transposed onto the village occupants and the viewer. Despite the violence projected onto its intentions, its malleable appearance fills in the blanks of whomever it casts its eyes on. It is through a person's soul that it takes shape, becoming whatever it is we fear. Even still, it is mostly a presence, feeling less tangible despite the carnage left in its name.
Make no mistake—it is a real, unmistakable cruelty and nastiness that underlines the beating heart of THE SOUL EATER. While the film features a notably restrained Maury and Bustillo, there is the familiar peeling back of humanity's underbelly that rings true here.
THE SOUL EATER had its North American premiere at the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.
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