Calvaire (2004)

Marc, a traveling entertainer, is on his way home for Christmas when his van brakes in the middle of a jerkwater town with some strange inhabitans.

Director:

Fabrice du Welz

Writers:

Romain Protat, Fabrice du Welz

Stars:

Laurent Lucas, Brigitte Lahaie, Gigi Coursigny

4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Laurent Lucas	...	Marc Stevens
Brigitte Lahaie	...	Mademoiselle Vicky
Gigi Coursigny	...	Madame Langhoff
Jean-Luc Couchard	...	Boris
Jackie Berroyer	...	Bartel
Philippe Nahon	...	Robert Orton
Philippe Grand'Henry	...	Tomas Orton
Jo Prestia	...	Fermier Mylène
Marc Lefebvre	...	Lucien
Alfred David	...	Roland (as Alfred David-Pingouin)
Alain Delaunois	...	Gáant
Vincent Cahay	...	Stan Le Pianiste
Johan Meys	...	Rosto
Romain Protat	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Damien Waselle	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar

Storyline

A few days before Christmas, traveling entertainer Marc Stevens is stuck at nightfall in a remote wood in the swampy Hautes Fagnes region of Liège, his van conked out. An odd chap who's looking for a lost dog leads Marc to a shuttered inn; the owner gives Marc a room for the night. Next day, the innkeeper, Mr. Bartel, promises to fix the van, demands that Marc not visit the nearby village, and goes through Marc's things while the entertainer takes a walk. At dinner that night, Bartel laments his wife's having left him, and by next day, Marc is in a nightmare that may not end.

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Plot Keywords:

woods | van | singer | inn | french horror | 

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Taglines:

Some people would kill for company.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Belgium France Luxembourg

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 March 2005 (France)

Also Known As:

Calvaire - Tortur des Wahnsinns

Filming Locations:

Bullingen, Belgium

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$635, 6 October 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,623, 8 October 2006

Company Credits

Production Co:

La Parti Productions, Tarantula, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Laurent Lucas' audition for the role of Marc lasted 45 minutes as he performed the scene where Marc puts on his show makeup and extended out the scene as though it were a real event.

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Goofs

"ELECRTICITE" is spelled during the end credits instead of "ELECTRICITE" (Electricity)

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Crazy Credits

In the "thank you" section: "Balo, Jean Hermann, Denis Closset, morts au montage" ("dead in the editing room").

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Connections

Referenced in Viande d'origine française (2009)

User Reviews

Ah Belgium... Home of the weird, the sick and the sexually perverted!

"Calvaire", a.k.a "The Ordeal" is mainly a Belgian production and – being a Belgian myself – I'm rather proud of that, although it also once again illustrates that the only cult and controversial horror films coming from this country pretty much all revolve on sexually perverted characters! "Lucker" served us the diary of a necrophiliac and the ultra-rare film "Vase de Noces" (which I haven't seen yet) handles about the sexual relationship between a farmer and his pig. At several points in the film, "Calvaire" hints at bestiality as well and the least you can say about all the characters, even the unimportant ones, is that they're heavily struggling with their hormones all together. The honest and hard-working singer Marc Stevens is on his way to a Christmas gig when his van breaks down on a rural road near a remote village. A loyal young man guides Marc to Paul Bartel's godforsaken hotel and that's where the madness really begins. Bartel is obtrusive and overly friendly at first but gradually his traumatized mind begins to mistake Marc for his own adulterous wife who left him. For Marc begins a nightmare in which he's dressed up in woman's clothes, tortured and forced to have sexual intercourse. Even when he manages to escape into the forests he isn't safe, as all the local rednecks are deranged deviants as well. The subject matter of "Calvaire" sounds pretty devastating, but it actually comes across as a black comedy most of the time. It's an absurd film with disturbing undertones and grisly images, yet the surreal atmosphere and the overuse of stereotypes almost makes it a comical experience. You can summarize this film as being a demented and typically European interpretation of classic backwoods-thrillers such as "Deliverance" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". The hillbillies are crazier, the situations are more grotesque and the perversion is a lot less subtle. Especially considering "Calvaire" was the debut project for most of the crew members involved, the film is exceptionally well-made! The cinematography is stunning to observe most of the time, with beautiful images of large and ominous forests, and the interior filming locations are dark & creepy. The acting performances are a bit weak sometimes but still endurable. Regretfully, the script also features a couple of tedious moments and it leaves quite a bit of questions unanswered when the film is finished. Nonetheless, "Calvaire" is destined to be a cult favorite in the near future (if it isn't one by now) already and fans of odd, offbeat cinema can't afford themselves to miss it!