Images Courtesy of Edge of Frame Film Publicity
Karim Ouelhaj's debut feature, Megalomaniac was a triumph within the horror community, conjuring the ultra-violence of the New French Extremity while also taking a unique approach to the serial killer genre. His second feature film, Heat of Madness is less straightforward, taking a surrealist approach to the crime thriller and blending it with biblical horror and sudden violence. The result is a divisive picture that features haunting imagery, moments of shocking brutality, and an odious protagonist brought to life by one of the year's finest performances.
Scola is a career criminal whose wife is pregnant, which in turn has him
contemplating getting out of the life and going straight after (predictably)
one last heist. After a series of misfortunes, Scola sets out on a
path of revenge that takes him on a sojourn through hell itself.
Ouelhaj wrote the script, which is an interesting combination of
criminality, misogyny laden tirades, and elements that may or may not be of a
supernatural origin. The narrative is very fluid, shifting from what
Scola perceives as reality to hellish landscapes wrought with
symbolism.
Olivier Picard stars as Scola and his performance is one of the strongest of
the year. His Scola is a vile, deeply violent man who carries decades of
guilt within and the way Picard embodies this is something to behold. Even his body language says go away.
The other standout is Julie Carroll as the mysterious Petite Pomme. She
appears randomly, perhaps as a figment of Scola's consciousness or perhaps
something real, something benevolent or something of a darker purpose and her
scenes with Picard are some of the strongest and most bizarre moments of the
film.
Bernard Vervoort's enigmatic cinematography is the standout. Mixing scenes of color with black and white sequences, Scola's fractured spirit is put on physical display. Comparisons to Dante's Inferno are impossible to avoid, however there is something about the ambiance that invokes elements of Camus and Jodorowsky, with harrowing sequences of malice laced throughout the narrative. The final result is a bewildering, violent riddle of a film that will either attract or repulse with its suppositions and refusals to conform.
Debuting last night at Sitges film festival and hopefully coming soon to either theaters or video on demand, Heat of Madness is a difficult, but rewarding film if self-interpretation is of import to the audience. Viewers looking for a traditional narrative will be disappointed, but those who enjoy mysteries and karmic puzzles will find much to enjoy.
--Kyle
Jonathan