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Oh Mercy!
Oh Mercy!
Oh Mercy!
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Oh Mercy!
Film poster
FrenchRoubaix, une lumière
Directed byArnaud Desplechin
Written byArnaud Desplechin
Léa Mysius
Based onRoubaix, commissariat central
by Mosco Boucault
Produced byPascal Caucheteux
Grégoire Sorlat
StarringRoschdy Zem
Léa Seydoux
Sara Forestier
Antoine Reinartz
CinematographyIrina Lubtchansky
Edited byLaurence Briaud
Music byGrégoire Hetzel
Production
companies
Distributed byLe Pacte
Release dates
  • 22 May 2019 (2019-05-22) (Cannes)
  • 21 August 2019 (2019-08-21) (France)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$2,851,541[1]

Oh Mercy! (French: Roubaix, une lumière, lit. 'Roubaix, a light') is a 2019 French crime drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin. The film was inspired by the 2008 TV documentary Roubaix, commissariat central, directed by Mosco Boucault.[2] It stars Roschdy Zem, Léa Seydoux, Sara Forestier, and Antoine Reinartz. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[3][4]

Plot

[edit]

One Christmas night in Roubaix, the local police chief Daoud, and Louis, a fresh recruit, are confronted with the violent murder of an elderly woman. The victim's two young, female neighbours, Claude and Marie, are arrested.[5]

Cast

[edit]
  • Roschdy Zem as Daoud
  • Léa Seydoux as Claude
  • Sara Forestier as Marie
  • Antoine Reinartz as Louis
  • Chloé Simoneau as Judith
  • Betty Catroux as De Kayser
  • Jérémy Brunet as Aubin
  • Stéphane Duquenoy as Benoît
  • Philippe Duquesne as Dos Santos
  • Anthony Salamone as Kovalki
  • Ilyes Bensalem as Farid
  • Abdellatif Sedegui as Soufia's father
  • Sylvie Moreaux as Soufia's mother
  • Diya Chalaoui as Fatia Belkacem
  • Bouzid Bouhdida as Soufia's uncle
  • Maïssa Taleb as Soufia Duhamel-Hami

Release

[edit]

The film had its world premiere in the Competition section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 22 May 2019.[6] It was released in France on 21 August 2019.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10.[8] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 51 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[9]

David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a grade of C−, writing, "Forestier and Seydoux are both fantastically desperate as dead end citizens who met each other at a very dangerous time in their lives, but Desplechin fails to make full use of his actors; instead of allowing them to shade in their characters, he pummels the audience into an ambiguous state of forced sympathy."[10] Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, commenting that "The film's master image is among the greatest images of Desplechin's career: the women, recreating their strangulation of the victim for the police, briefly hold their hands together under the victim's pillow."[11]

Accolades

[edit]
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur 4 October 2019 Bayard d'or Oh Mercy! Won [12]
Lumière Awards 27 January 2020 Best Film Oh Mercy! Nominated [13]
Best Director Arnaud Desplechin Nominated
Best Actor Roschdy Zem Won
Best Cinematography Irina Lubtchansky Nominated
Jacques Deray Prize 22 February 2020 Won [14][15]
César Award 28 February 2020 Best Film Oh Mercy! Nominated [16]
Best Director Arnaud Desplechin Nominated
Best Actor Roschdy Zem Won
Best Supporting Actress Sara Forestier Nominated
Best Adaptation Arnaud Desplechin and Léa Mysius Nominated
Best Cinematography Irina Lubtchansky Nominated
Best Original Music Grégoire Hetzel Nominated

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Oh Mercy!

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Oh Mercy is the twenty-sixth studio album by American , released on September 12, 1989, by . Produced by , the album was recorded in a rented house at 1305 Soniat Street in New Orleans, , during sessions in early 1989. It marked a significant creative resurgence for Dylan following a series of uneven releases in the , blending introspective lyrics on themes of , , and with atmospheric production characterized by Lanois's signature ambient and rootsy sound. The album consists of ten original songs, including standout tracks such as "Political World", "Most of the Time", "Everything Is Broken", and "Man in the Long Black Coat", which explore moral ambiguities and personal reflection with Dylan's distinctive poetic style. Key collaborators included Lanois on and guitar, alongside New Orleans session musicians like guitarist , bassist Tony Hall, drummer , percussionist , and keyboardist Malcolm Burn, creating a rich, layered texture that drew from folk, , and rock influences. Upon release, received widespread critical acclaim for revitalizing Dylan's artistry, with reviewers praising its depth and emotional resonance as a return to the form of his earlier masterpieces. Commercially, it peaked at number 30 on the chart and number 6 on the , Dylan's strongest chart performance in years. The album's legacy endures as one of Dylan's most celebrated works from the late 20th century, influencing subsequent projects like his 1997 Grammy-winning Time Out of Mind, also produced by Lanois.

Background and development

Inspiration from documentary

The 2008 French television documentary Roubaix, commissariat central, affaires courantes, directed by Mosco Boucault, offers an unflinching portrayal of daily operations at the central police station in , a working-class city in northern known for its industrial decline and diverse immigrant communities. Filmed over several months in 2002, it embeds viewers in the routine of investigations, from minor disturbances to serious crimes, highlighting the challenges faced by officers in a neighborhood marked by and . A pivotal segment focuses on the May 2002 murder of an elderly woman, strangled in her bed, with suspicion quickly turning to her two young female neighbors living in the apartment above, who become central figures in the ensuing probe. The documentary meticulously documents the process, revealing the suspects' confessions and the complexities of their personal struggles amid and desperation, while showcasing the police's methodical yet empathetic approach to securing . Boucault's work authentically captures police procedures, such as evidence collection and suspect interviews, against the backdrop of Roubaix's multicultural fabric, where tensions arise from socioeconomic disparities and integration issues in a predominantly North African and Eastern European immigrant population. This raw depiction underscores the human elements in law enforcement within a grappling with social fragmentation. Arnaud Desplechin, a Roubaix native, first encountered the documentary in 2008 and was profoundly struck by its portrayal of moral ambiguity and human vulnerability in the murder case, prompting him years later to fictionalize it as a feature film exploring similar themes of empathy and redemption.

Script and pre-production

The screenplay for Oh Mercy! was co-written by director Arnaud Desplechin and Léa Mysius, who had previously collaborated with him on Ismael's Ghosts (2017). Their script adapts the 2008 television documentary Roubaix, commissariat central by Mosco Boucault, transforming its observational footage of police work in the northern French city into a narrative crime drama. To heighten dramatic tension, Desplechin and Mysius fictionalized several characters and events from the documentary, shifting the focus to a single investigation on while emphasizing interpersonal dynamics and moral complexities among suspects and officers. This approach retains the core elements of the original's portrayal of routine police procedures and the socio-economic challenges in , but reimagines them through scripted dialogue and character arcs to explore themes of and redemption. Pre-production was overseen by producers Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat of , who handled budget planning and secured co-financing from France Cinéma to support the 's intimate, location-based scope. Key crew selections included cinematographer Lubtchansky, known for her work on Desplechin's earlier films, to capture the stark, naturalistic visuals of Roubaix's underbelly, and composer Grégoire Hetzel, a frequent collaborator, to craft a subtle score underscoring the story's emotional undercurrents.

Production

Casting

The lead role of Commissaire Yacoub Daoud was assigned to for his ability to portray nuanced authority, drawing on his established screen presence as a French-Algerian actor capable of conveying emotional depth in complex characters. was cast as Claude and as Marie, selected for their natural chemistry in depicting vulnerable suspects entangled in desperation and moral ambiguity, which added layers to the film's exploration of human fragility. This pairing allowed for intimate, believable interactions that underscored the suspects' co-dependency without relying on overt dramatics. Antoine Reinartz was chosen for the role of the rookie officer Louis after auditions that highlighted his youthful intensity and capacity to embody a character grappling with and doubt in high-stakes environments. In supporting roles, Damien Chapelle portrayed Jimmy and Nabat Tazari played , with casting emphasizing diverse ethnic representation to mirror the multicultural demographics of , a northern French city marked by and social diversity. The overall casting process included open calls in northern to incorporate local non-professional actors for minor roles, blending professional leads with authentic community voices to ground the film in regional realism and reflect the script's requirements for multicultural characters.

Filming

Principal for Oh Mercy! (original title: Roubaix, une lumière) took place over seven weeks starting in November 2018, primarily in the director's hometown of , , to immerse the production in the city's authentic environment. The crew utilized real locations, including the local police station's custody cells for key investigative sequences and apartment buildings in low-income neighborhoods to represent the victim's home and the surrounding social context. Filming in these genuine, economically disadvantaged areas posed challenges in balancing logistical constraints with the need for , as the production captured Roubaix's post-industrial decay and daily tensions amid limited daylight during the winter shoot. Irina Lubtchansky employed natural lighting where possible, augmented by directional projectors and sodium vapor lamps, to convey the bleak, wintry atmosphere central to the story's mood. This technique, combined with close-ups and subtle camera movements in rooms, fostered an intimate, documentary-like feel without relying on handheld shots. The efficient seven-week schedule enabled the completion of the 119-minute runtime, with director Arnaud Desplechin fostering on-set dynamics through an improvisational style that encouraged actors to explore emotional nuances, as seen in spontaneous elements during vehicle scenes that echoed the film's themes of vulnerability. This approach extended to interrogation sequences, where performers drew on pre-production research into real police procedures for heightened authenticity.

Story and characters

Plot

The film, inspired by a real murder case from the 2008 documentary Roubaix, commissariat central, opens on Christmas night in Roubaix, an impoverished industrial city in northern France, where police chief Daoud and his young recruit Louis respond to a distress call from two female neighbors in a rundown apartment building. Upon arrival, they discover the brutal strangulation murder of an elderly woman in her home, with signs of a burglary gone wrong. The investigation quickly focuses on the women—Claude, a charismatic but troubled former beauty queen turned addict, and her shy, dependent partner Marie—who were seen fleeing the scene and exhibit suspicious behavior, including inconsistent alibis and visible signs of recent drug use. As the interrogations unfold over the night in the dimly lit , Daoud employs empathetic yet relentless questioning to unravel the suspects' stories, revealing their backstories of poverty, familial abandonment, and that have trapped them in a cycle of desperation. Claude recounts a life of lost opportunities, including struggles with motherhood and unfulfilled ambitions, while Marie discloses her submissive role in their volatile relationship and a history of . Key emerges from the interrogations and a recreation of the , forcing the women to confront their actions amid escalating pressure to implicate each other. Louis, idealistic and drawn to Claude, grapples with the moral weight of the process, highlighting tensions between justice and compassion within . In the climactic confessions, Claude and Marie admit to the killing, driven by a robbery attempt fueled by addiction and escalating panic, though Daoud seeks to humanize them by acknowledging their remorse and shared humanity amid the horror. The resolution intertwines themes of mercy and accountability as the women face conviction, with Daoud advocating for understanding in their sentencing, leaving Louis to reflect on the blurred lines between law enforcement and redemption in Roubaix's unforgiving environment.

Cast

The principal cast of Oh Mercy! (2019) comprises: Key supporting roles are filled by:
  • Damien Chapelle as Jimmy, Claude's brother.
  • Nabat Tazari as Awa, Daoud's wife.
  • Jean-Pierre Gos as the police commissioner.
The ensemble reflects a diverse array of performers, aligning with the film's exploration of multicultural dynamics in northern .

Release

Premiere

Oh Mercy! had its world premiere on 22 May 2019 at the 72nd , where it competed in the In Competition section for the . The screening marked the film's debut to international audiences, showcasing director Arnaud Desplechin's exploration of a real-life murder investigation in the impoverished northern French city of . At the subsequent , Desplechin discussed the film's roots in a . This commentary underscored the movie's engagement with broader French social issues, including and inter-community tensions in one of the country's most deprived regions. Although the film did not secure any awards from the jury—the went to Parasite—it garnered praise for its performances, particularly Roschdy Zem's portrayal of the empathetic and the layered turns by and as the suspects. Audience reactions highlighted the emotional depth of these roles, contributing to the film's positive buzz despite mixed critical reception on its procedural structure.

Distribution and box office

Oh Mercy! was released theatrically in on 21 by distributor Le Pacte. The film received limited international theatrical releases, including in on 16 October , and CIS on 26 September , and on 1 October 2020. In the United States, it had a limited release in late following its festival screenings. The film achieved a worldwide box office gross of $2,885,167, with the majority—$2,823,680—coming from its run, where it opened to $669,348. Its modest financial performance reflected its arthouse positioning and niche appeal as a character-driven crime drama. Home media distribution included a DVD and Blu-ray release in on 3 January 2020, also handled by Le Pacte. By 2021, the film became available for streaming on platforms such as in select regions; as of November 2025, it remains accessible on similar services. Marketing efforts featured trailers that highlighted the film's tense crime procedural elements alongside the star power of leads like and .

Reception and legacy

Critical response

Upon its release, Oh Mercy! received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator , it holds a 58% approval rating based on 31 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 51 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Critics frequently praised Roschdy Zem's performance as Daoud, which earned him the ; reviewers highlighted his charismatic and empathetic portrayal of a compassionate figure navigating complexities. The film was also commended for its effective depiction of police empathy and the of everyday life in the deprived northern French city of , drawing authenticity from its basis in a real 2008 television documentary. However, common criticisms included uneven pacing, particularly in the extended and crime recreation scenes, which some felt dragged and undermined tension. Others argued that the fictionalization of the source material diluted the raw, unfiltered impact of the original documentary's true-crime elements, resulting in a more contrived . Peter Bradshaw of described the film as a drama that "attempts to behave like a tough in a quasi-Melville vein," while noting its self-conscious and musing tone. Overall, the reception reflected a mixed response to director Arnaud Desplechin's handling of the procedural genre, with some appreciating its atmospheric depth and others finding it rambling and overly derivative of television formats.

Accolades

Oh Mercy! garnered recognition primarily within French cinema circles following its release. At the 45th César Awards in 2020, the film won Best Actor for Roschdy Zem's portrayal of the police commissioner Daoud, while receiving nominations for Best Film, Best Director for Arnaud Desplechin, Best Adapted Screenplay for Desplechin and Léa Mysius, Best Cinematography for Irina Lubtchansky, and Best Supporting Actress for Sara Forestier. Earlier accolades included the Bayard d'Or for Best Film at the 2019 Namur International Francophone Film Festival, where it competed in the official selection. In 2020, it also secured the Jacques Deray Prize for Best French Thriller, awarded by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics for its tense crime drama elements. The film earned multiple nominations at the 25th Lumière Awards in 2020, including Best Film, Best Director for Desplechin, and Best Actor for Zem (which he won).

References

  1. https://www.bobdylan.com/albums/oh-mercy/
  2. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/oh-mercy-at-30-remembering-bob-dylans-mercurial-new-orleans-odyssey-865401/
  3. https://www.discogs.com/release/1376400-Bob-Dylan-Oh-Mercy
  4. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/oh-mercy-250330/
  5. https://music.fandom.com/wiki/Oh_Mercy:Bob_Dylan
  6. https://www.grammy.com/artists/bob-dylan/13935
  7. https://icarusfilms.com/if-roubai
  8. https://archives.cinemadureel.org/en/films/roubaix-commissariat-central-affaires-courantes/
  9. https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/oh-mercy-review-1203223481/
  10. https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/oh-mercy-first-look-police-poverty-vie-sombre-french-noir
  11. https://reverseshot.org/reviews/entry/2593/oh_mercy
  12. https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/2019/arnaud-desplechin-delves-deep-into-the-human-soul-in-roubaix-une-lumiere-oh-mercy/
  13. https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/film-of-the-week-oh-mercy/
  14. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/oh-mercy-roubaix-une-lumiere-review-1212750/
  15. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/22/oh-mercy-review-arnaud-desplechin-lea-seydoux-cannes
  16. https://theplaylist.net/oh-mercy-cannes-review-20190523/
  17. https://cineuropa.org/en/film/371034/
  18. https://thefilmstage.com/arnaud-desplechin-on-melding-frederick-wiseman-and-sidney-lumet-with-oh-mercy/
  19. https://cineuropa.org/en/interview/373255/
  20. https://www.cnc.fr/web/en/news/french-ministry-of-the-interior-and-overseas-territories-a-cinema-mission-dedicated-to-creation_2199021
  21. https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/629812/article/2019-08-28/la-famille-de-la-victime-du-drame-qui-inspire-roubaix-une-lumiere-rassuree-par
  22. https://www.bande-a-part.fr/cinema/entretiens/magazine-cinema-irina-lubtchansky-roubaix-une-lumiere-chef-operatrice-entretien/
  23. https://www.troiscouleurs.fr/cinema/arnaud-desplechin-et-la-chef-operatrice-irina-lubtchansky-nous-parlent-de-roubaix-une-lumiere/
  24. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/oh-mercy-roubaix-une-lumiere-review-lea-seydoux-cannes-1202143958/
  25. https://screenanarchy.com/2019/09/new-york-2019-review-oh-mercy-arnaud-desplechins-law-and-order.html
  26. https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/oh-mercy-review-arnaud-desplechin/
  27. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8359840/fullcredits/
  28. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1344340/
  29. https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/oh-mercy-cannes-review/5139678.article
  30. https://cine-vue.com/2019/05/cannes-2019-oh-mercy-review.html
  31. https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=264597.html
  32. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt8359840/
  33. https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Oh-Mercy/0QOM9K1YTR16ZCE6YWJHT6P7EM
  34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bUSD-lvspk
  35. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/oh_mercy
  36. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/oh-mercy%21/
  37. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/cesar-awards-2020-winners-list-full-1276711/
  38. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/oh-mercy%21/critic-reviews/
  39. https://variety.com/2020/film/news/roman-polanski-an-officer-and-a-spy-cesar-awards-2020-1203485045/
  40. https://deadline.com/2020/02/cesar-awards-2020-winners-full-list-1202870751/
  41. https://cineuropa.org/fr/newsdetail/379080/
  42. https://www.canalplus.com/articles/cinema/16e-prix-jacques-deray-roubaix-une-lumiere-recompense
  43. https://www.canalplus.com/articles/cinema/roschdy-zem-sacre-meilleur-acteur-aux-lumieres-2020
  44. https://academiedeslumieres.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/CPNominations2020.pdf
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