7 Days (Les 7 Jours du Talion) (2010)
Studio: Alliance Vivafilm
Director: Daniel Grou
Cast: Rémy Girard, Claude Legault, Fanny Mallette, Martin Dubreuil, Rose-Marie Coallier
Review by: Marc Patterson

I know I’m supposed to be this big, tough horror critic. Throw it at me. I can take anything. Extreme torture or rape? No problem. But the second you drag kids into the equation, I turn into an entirely different animal. When it comes to violence against children in films, I start to the draw the line at what I can take and what I can’t. So for a film like 7 Days (Les 7 Jours du Talion), which literally translates to “Seven Days of Retaliation”, I knew I was going to be in for a walloping as it is clear from the trailer that the entire premise of the film is based upon a violent act towards a young girl by a repeat pedophile. For those of you with weak stomachs, I will provide a spoiler of comfort, no scene of violence towards the child is enacted on screen. Rather, the focal point of the story is what happens in the aftermath of this grisly crime.

To eight-year old Jasmine Hamel, (Rose-Marie Coallier) it is a day like any other. Sadly, reality couldn’t be any further from that truth. Her father Bruno Hamel (Claude Legualt), a medical doctor who works the night shift, has come home to see her off to school and her mom Sylvie (Fanny Mallette), who would normally walk her the short distance, decides to stay home today in order to satisfy some alone time cravings with Bruno. When the school calls to ask where Jasmine is, things go haywire. The parents call the police, and a search quickly begins. It isn’t long before the body of Jasmine is discovered, and Bruno is there for that shocking discovery, realizing in full what happened to his daughter. Within a surprisingly short amount of time the killer, portrayed by Martin Dubreuil, is found and apprehended. Through the eye of the news camera he appears neither sad, nor regretful. Happy almost, as if somehow he has been finally saved from himself.

Bruno and Sylvie have instantly become as cold and lifeless as the house they live in and it doesn’t take long before they begin turning on each other, pointing the blame at one other, in what can only be described as a desperate grasp for closure and understanding, brought on by an overwhelming sense of frustration through the grieving process. It isn’t long before Bruno decides to use his capable skills as a surgeon to do something instead of sit around and grieve. He concocts an elaborate scheme to capture Lemaire (Dubreuil), and then enact a seven day long sequence of torture and retribution that will lead up to what would have been Jasmine’s ninth birthday.

On some levels 7 Days is a real tough egg to crack. Part of the film seems to want to belong in the torture porn category of horror. Another part says this isn’t horror at all. My personal opinion is that the film leans almost more towards not being horror than a pigeonholed genre piece, though there is no denying 7 Days is absolutely horrifying. What 7 Days IS turns out to be a close study of the utter pointlessness of vengeance. In some ways this is the film that The Last House on the Left wishes it could have been, and I say that liberally. As far as I’m concerned you can take your pick of the original or the remake. 7 Days outshines them both. Where Last House was simply a fantasy of gratification, 7 Days is an excruciating look at the grieving process for a victimized family. It asks a very pointed question that it ultimately pushes back on the audience to consider: Do you do something, or do you do nothing? How will you react? Along the way there are some rather insightful comments made, and some rather gag-testing moments of brutality as well.

Upon a second viewing, the subtle nuances of the film begin to emerge. The script is sparse, yet smartly written, and dutifully acted by the brilliant cast. Fans of horror will remember how we applauded Jenny Spain for enduring an entire shoot where she lay naked on a table while acts of vicious cruelty were acted out upon her in Deadgirl. Here the gender takes on the role of a male, as a totally exposed Martin Dubreuil delivers an equally impressive portrayal of the tortured pedophile. Being the bad guy is so often a thankless task, but when the camera is this intimate anything short of a “give it your all” performance won’t do. At center stage is Legault, whose character undergoes the most audience scrutiny. Is he a hero, or equally a bad guy? Will he lose himself by holding on? Director Daniel Grou is careful to move the story through its various acts, escalating the degree to which these questions torture Legault, and providing a literary approach, even adding an allegorical element embodied by a dead deer.

Technically, much consideration was given towards the tone of the film, and the somber approach taken to the filmmaking process. The film is presented in a bleak and depressing palate of grays and blues. Offset by a total lack of a score, and punctuated by long moments of deafening silence, 7 Days demands your attention to every frame.

I can certainly understand and appreciate the level of scrutiny this film would undoubtedly endure. It is a film designed to get people talking, and I have no hesitation in saying that is exactly what it will do. From start to finish, this is an intense film that will shock as much as it will make you think. It is easily one of the most powerful films that explores violence, grief, and revenge since Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, a film which I consider to be the best film ever made on this particular theme.

While the film recently premiered at Sundance it is available for viewers at home through your video on demand service. I’d encourage you to look it up and check it out.