Although hailing from Belgium, Fabrice du Welz’s debut Calvaire has been considered a staple of New French Extremity, as coined by James Quandt around the turn of the 21st century. Now, nearly two decades after its initial release, a new HD remaster of the film is arriving. Courtesy of Yellow Veil Pictures, it’ll arrive in theaters on February 24 and digitally on March 3 followed by a collector’s edition Blu-ray.
The first part of the director’s Ardennes trilogy, the film follows a traveling entertainer who falls victim to a dangerously unhinged innkeeper determined to keep him captive. “A lucid nightmare… A dark absurdist descent into hell… Calvaire’s meditation on identity, possession, and cruelty remains horribly vivid,” said Guillermo del Toro.
See the trailer and poster below for the film starring Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon, and Brigitte Lahaie.
Calvaire opens in theaters on February 24 and arrives digitally on March 3.