Mercy, Alain Guiraudie’s noir thriller starring Félix Kysyl and Catherine Frot, is airing on Arte on Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 9:00 PM. The film will also be available on Arte.tv starting the same day.
Jérémie returns to Saint-Martial to attend the funeral of his former boss, the village baker. He stays longer with Martine, the widow of the deceased, but his return and his closeness to her rub Vincent, his childhood friend, the wrong way. A mysterious disappearance then upends the visit.
Around Jérémie orbit Martine, played by Catherine Frot, Vincent, portrayed by Jean-Baptiste Durand, and Father Griseul, played by Jacques Develay. Between the village and the surrounding woods, the investigation intertwines with the desires, rivalries, and secrets of the inhabitants.
Our verdict on Mercy
With Mercy, Alain Guiraudie (L'Inconnu du lac, Rester vertical) delivers another noir-era film brimming with intense desire, yet, for once, it struggles to fully unleash it. Far from frustrating the audience, this cat-and-mouse game proves, on the contrary, deliciously funny and strikingly effective.
Relations quickly skid out of control between Jérémie and the villagers of a tiny hamlet tucked between the Larzac and the Cévennes, especially with Vincent (Jean-Baptiste Durand), his childhood friend and the son of the late baker.
As rumors run wild, the village wakes to a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. Once again, Guiraudie unveils a work consumed by the desires and perversions of his male characters, who probe, mirror, seek, and avoid one another.
As the puppeteer of this little world, the French filmmaker relishes the erotic tension that threads through every scene, including a notably humane confession with a priest who, while enigmatic, is irresistibly entertaining.
In Guiraudie’s world, nature is both giver and taker, and the autumnal forest of this noir is no exception, yielding handfuls of phallic mushrooms—each a secret waiting to be picked. Premiered in Cannes Première at the latest Cannes Film Festival, Mercy hits theaters on October 16, 2024.
Presented in the 2024 Cannes Première section, Miséricorde hit theatres on 16 October of the same year. This release brings the film into Arte's programming devoted to Alain Guiraudie's cinema.
