He decides to stay for a few days with Martine (Catherine Frot), the man's widow and her angry son (Jean-Baptiste Durand), while making an increasingly surprising friendship with an oddly cheerful local priest (Jacques Develay). A mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbour and the priest’s strange intentions make Jérémie's short stay in the village take an unexpected turn.

This is a French rural melodrama that soon takes a few thriller detours before showing its hand as a philosophical discussion on guilt, redemption and the necessity of transgression in a messed-up world. Director Guiraudie is at the top of his game in ‘Misericordia’, skilfully upending all genre expectations.