The Strange Case of Jacky Caillou (2022) Review
When Jacky’s grandmother, a renowned healer, suddenly passes away and a particularly compelling young woman with a mysterious rash arrives on his doorstep, he has no choice but to stay and try to help. As her condition worsens, it becomes clear that she’s afflicted with no ordinary illness. She’s transforming into something dangerous before his eyes, but he’s already in too deep to abandon her.
THE STRANGE CASE OF JACKY CAILLOU is an independent French flick that’s miles above the miserable standard one normally receives across all languages for reviewing purposes. Director Lucas Delangle, making his feature debut, deftly blends elements of folk horror, fantasy, and fairy tale into an unexpectedly effective mix that’s both disarming, deeply involving making it one of the best genre surprises of this year to date.
Made of a cast of mainly non-actors there’s nothing onscreen that plays as non-professional. From the gorgeous French Alps setting to the characterisations and world-building, everything here feels very real. It’s a more subtle blend of horror that recalls Neil Jordan’s A COMPANY OF WOLVES – albeit not needing to be as stylish or surreal. And yes, you’ll no doubt guess in which direction its heading early on but that doesn’t make watching THE STRANGE CASE OF JACKY CAILLOU any less engrossing.