When are young people going to learn that the French countryside is not as peaceful and idyllic as they might believe. As with Alexandre Ajas Haute Tension, Kim Chapirons film 'Sheitan' shows us another side to the French landscape, this time giving us an inbred psychotic hillbilly village not too welcoming to visiting outsiders.
The set up of the film is pretty standard, on Christmas Eve three young men hit the clubs and bars looking for some fun. After getting involved in an altercation at one of the clubs, the guys are kicked out. Then then stumble across two girls, one of whom Eve (Roxanne Mesquida) invites them all back to her house in the country to continue the party.
On arrival at Eves village the boys are introduced to Joseph (Vincent Cassel)and some of the villages other colourful characters, and their night slowly begins to take a terrifying but oddly humorous downward spiral into chaos. It is only when they get to Eves house, a crumbling old mansion eerily inhabited by a huge collection of dolls, that Josephs real plans for the three men are unveiled.
First time feature director Chapiron handles the direction like a seasoned pro, using the setting of the dilapidated mansion to its fullest effect. The performances all round are strong, but it is Cassels performance as Joseph that absolutely steals every scene he is in. It is a performance from an actor who is certainly on top of his game. I find it hard to take anything away from Chapirons film, which is very original in its oddness but, if I had to say something negative, it would be that the plot may just be too odd. A number of times throughout the film I found myself thinking "that just didn't make any sense". This said, Sheitan is a very enjoyable, darkly disturbing film and for Cassels demonic performance (excuse the pun) it is well worth checking out.
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