Céline Roustan

After a stint in prison, David gets a job at a slaughterhouse through a social reinsertion programme. The violence of that environment makes it difficult for him to adapt to his new life on the outside. With Mercenaire, S/W alum Pier-Philippe Chevigny (Vétérane, Recrue) concludes his trilogy of “tense social portraits”: character-driven narratives where social pressure is the main antagonist. In this film, Chevigny impressively immerses us in the protagonist’s inner turmoil while exposing one of the many failures of the incarceration system.

“The meat industry is a leading employer for ex-convicts, who are often rejected by the rest of the labour market”

The film was inspired by an original idea from lead actor and Chevigny’s frequent collaborator, Marc-André Grondin. This prompted Chevigny to conduct research for the screenplay, which led him to discover that “in Quebec, the meat industry is a leading employer for ex-convicts, who are often rejected by the rest of the labour market”, he shared. The irony of pushing people back into a cycle of violence during their rehabilitation process is at the core of his narrative, which he then uses cinematic tools to effectively convey.

From the opening shot, Chevigny and DP Simran Dewan echo David’s point of view with a ratio that brings to the screen how trapped he feels. This instantly creates a sensation of suffocation and triggers a certain level of anxiety. Edited by Chevigny himself, he finds a pacing that simultaneously enhances the chaos and violence of the slaughterhouse while also allowing us to sit with the protagonist as he battles his inner demons. He is unafraid to let us spend time with David struggling to allow us to grasp the nuances of how complicated this new life is for him.  

Marc-André Grondin stars as an ex-convict in Mercenaire

From the page to the screen, Chevigny depicts the cruelty of the system through the portrait of this one man. He crafts an intense, anxiety-inducing drama that can be difficult to watch in some sequences. The authenticity of the material shines through, though, making the film all the more engaging, holding our breath hostage as David remains unable to find a certain level of peace of mind.

Established actor Marc-André Grondin once again gives a tour-de-force performance, where what’s left unsaid is much more powerful than his lines of dialogue. His raw performance blends the pain, helplessness, and anger of his character so compellingly, making the film all the more poignant and affecting. Some will have recognized Sandrine Bisson as the caseworker, whose nonchalant performance perfectly encapsulates how useless and counterproductive the system can be, pairing so well with Grondin’s character’s distraught state. 

Mercenaire had its world premiere at the 2024 edition of Toronto’s TIFF and went on to play at multiple festivals, including the Palm Springs ShortFest, Busan, Regard, and Clermont-Ferrand, where it won an award. Chevigny’s first feature, Richelieu, premiered in 2023. He is now working on his second, Arsenal, an “anxiety-inducing social drama that pays tribute to the history of the Quebec 2SLGBTQIA+ movement”, co-written with Chloé Robichaud.