by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s French-Canadian dark comedy thriller A Sh*t Day (Jour de merde) by Kevin T. Landry.
Synopsis
Drowning under the abuses of her narcissist ex-husband and condescending boss at the lottery company where she works, young single mother Maude (Eve Ringuette) is having an absurdly sh*t day as she is sent to the middle of nowhere to interview strange hermit Gaétan (Réal Bosseé).
The Good
Joseph: French-language Canadian feature A Sh*t Day — a blend of neo noir and dark comedy — kept me transfixed throughout its running time, thanks in large part to Eve Ringuette’s superb lead performance and the character that cowriters Landry and Lou Scamble created for the protagonist Maude, whom Ringuette portrays. Viewers understand this character immediately by way of an opening sequence that sees her being verbally abused by her boss and her ex-husband, and we get to know her better through her strained relationship with her son Rafaël (Louka Bélanger-Leos) and in a quiet moment when she looks out at the snowy forest surrounding her and reflects on the life she led as a youngster. Life has been hard on Maude, and when she meets a lottery winner who is reluctant to be interviewed on camera, matters get even worse. Bosseé is terrific as the mysterious Gaétan, and Landry and Scamble do a great job at keeping his intentions and background puzzling enough to cause viewers to wonder about him, but clear enough to know that things won’t go well the longer that Maude and Rafaël stay at his secluded home.
Mike: Right off the bat you know our main gal, Maude, leads a rather humdrum life, courtesy of an animated opening that shows her repeatedly stuck in traffic, cutting carrots, shopping, etc. It doesn’t take much longer to see she’s underappreciated, and taken advantage of by family and co-workers, so it’s no surprise that she’s destined to a A Sh*t Day when she’s sent out into the middle of nowhere to collect an interview with a lottery winner.
If you’re a fan of neo-noir stuff, you’ll find enough to like here as it successfully borrows from a Coen Brothers playbook and one of the many similar movies that was released following Fargo all those years ago. There’s beautiful, but lonely, dead-of-winter scenery, plenty of snow, and characters brought to life through some impressive performances - most notable Eve Ringuette who plays Maude, the put-upon single mom who has the misfortune of enduring a stressful and tension-filled sh*t day (although everyone does a great job at bringing their character to life).
Landry is quite adept at squeezing tension out of the most innocent-seeming scenes and does a great job at giving the viewer just enough information to allow their imaginations to run a bit wild before reigning it all back in at the right moment.
The Bad
Joseph: I don’t have a lot to say in this section for A Sh*t Day other than that the plot might be predictable at times for seasoned neo noir/dark comedy aficionados, especially those familiar with the Coen brothers’ filmography.
Mike: There are a few questions that are never answered and a couple of minor plot details that seem to have been ignored by the time the credits roll at the end, but if you can look beyond these (admittedly somewhat minor) blemishes you’ll find yourself with a clever little film.
The Verdict
Joseph: A Sh*t Day offers characters that are easy to root both for and against, portrayed swimmingly by a solid ensemble cast led by outstanding turns from Ringuette and Bosseé. Any predictability in the story is, in my opinion, more than balanced out by those performances and the tense ambience crafted by Landry, who also edits and keeps things going at a brisk pace. Fans of neo noir and dark comedy films should find a great deal to enjoy with this fine offering.
Mike: A couple of very minor scripting issues are more than overshadowed by the exceptional acting by the cast members and directing by Kevin T. Landry, who delivers an entertaining slice of neo-noir dark comedy in A Sh*t Day that would be right at home sandwiched between, say, Fargo and A Simple Plan.
A Sh*t Day
Directed By: Kevin T. Landry
Written By: Kevin T. Landry, Lou Scamble
Starring: Eve Ringuette, Réal Bossé, Valérie Blais, Isabelle Giroux
Run Time: 1h 31m
Rating: NR
Release Date: 2023