Babysitter (2022)

Directed by Monia Chokri. Starring Steve Laplante, Patrick Hivon, Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Monia Chokri, Hubert Proulx, Stéphane Moukarzel, Nathalie Breuer.

A crude “joke” from a leering sexist goes viral, forcing the perpetrator to go on an insincere therapeutic journey that provides opportunities to eviscerate toxic masculinity and slobbering misogyny. Director/co-star Chokri stages Catherine Léger’s script in gossamer pastels, frenetic montages of stylized conversation, and subversive “male gaze” worship; not a bad idea, considering the farcical absurdity that permeates the performances and overall tone, but it’s also not good direction (unless you prefer satirical shenanigans to be held hostage by aesthetics). Worse, the comic attitudes are more smug and wacky than funny, and the exaggerated neuroses turn almost everyone into a cartoon character, even the females, including the titular blonde (Tereszkiewicz), who’s too liberated and not infantilized enough to be described as “Lolita-esque”, but it’s the same lecherous boat. Based on a play by the same writer.

47/100