(aka LE CALENDRIER. Shudder Original film. Director/screenwriter: Patrick Ridremont.)
Review
On
December 3, 2020, paraplegic ex-dancer Eva Roussel (Eugénie Derouand) gets a
surprise birthday visit from her close friend, Sophie (Honorine Magnier), who
flew in from Germany to give her an old, pagan-Christian ornate, wooden German
advent calendar she purchased from a “Munich Xmas market”. The back of the
calendar reads: “Dump it and I’ll kill you.”
When
Eva notes that it’s a “grim” statement, Sophie, shrugging, replies, “Germans
are grim.” Eva opens the first date-door and eats the candy despite this and
its three rules:
“Rule
number 1. The calendar contains candy. If you eat one, eat them all. Or I’ll
kill you.
“Rule
number 2. Respect all rules until you open the last door. Or I’ll kill you.
“Rule number 3. Dump it and I’ll kill you.”
Crazy violent things happen at a rapid pace after she eats the first four candies (and continues doing so). Her father (played by an excellent Jean-François Garreud), who has Alzheimer’s and hasn’t spoken to her in some time, calls her and wishes her a happy birthday. An investor creep (Boris, played by Cyril Garnier) who aggressively hits on her has a car accident, not entirely unlike the car accident that made her a paraplegic—except he's dead in a horrible way. Other odd events, some good, follow. Many of these events are terrifying and dangerous for her and those around her, including her nurse boyfriend, William (Clément Olivieri).
This fast-paced, supernatural horror flick is an entertaining and an all-around sturdy movie, with its good acting, a strong script and ending, and an offbeat storyline. Animal lovers may cringe at one of its parts, although there’s no actual onscreen violence (or harm to the animal)—it’s all implied. This is a highly recommended French work, different than the usual Xmas terror fare.
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