Power and control can be used to do terrible things, as we all well and truly know, and in Quarxx’s latest film The Ones Who Grieve, which enjoyed its North American premiere at this year’s Fantastic Fest, we see how the irreparable damage from unchecked power can lead to devastating tragedy in the blink of an eye that has ripple effects far beyond comprehension.
Set in the 19th Century, The Ones Who Grieve takes place in the French countryside, ravaged by the mysterious Black Veil that appears to transform those infected into rabid beasts. There, 17-year-old Zélie (Zélie Rixhon) lives under the suffocating rule of her father, Jacob (Thierry Frémont), a self-proclaimed ‘Masker’ who performs intense and savage purification rituals on the sick, while exerting his control over the village. Zélie’s mother Emilie (Isabelle Anciaux), bed-bound by a compulsive hunger and made emotionally dependent on Jacob, sends her daughter to a neighbouring farm where she meets the troubled Jane (Ophélia Kolb), Carmin (Quentin Lasbazeilles), and later, Gabriel (Jean-Baptiste Maunier), a wounded, infected soldier. He offers to kill Jacob, and she agrees, but their plan is discovered and sets off a chain of irreversible tragedies in the village.
The Ones Who Grieve is a film about control – religious, societal, familial, and otherwise – and the corrosive affect unchecked power can have on us as individuals and the wider community. The crude setting allows for fear to run rampant through the isolated village, with a lack of medical awareness and intense paranoia stoked by Jacob, with no outside influence to quell the fears, allowing the tension to ratchet up across the narrative. The true horror of the film is not the unpleasantries that Jacob enacts on others, most notably and harrowingly Zélie, but the corruption of power and how quickly it can snowball into terrible tragedy, as well as the powerlessness of those who cannot stop it, but are well aware of the destruction ahead.
Thierry Frémont is imposing and sinister as Jacob, commanding every scene with the same deadly gravitas his character possesses over the villagers. He can strike fear into the hearts of viewers with just a flash of fury through his eyes or the simple uptick of his lips, revelling in the pain and suffering he causes. Zélie Rixhon is similarly impressive as Zélie, with hopelessness seeping into every pore of her body as the film goes on and she realises resistance and escape is futile until rage fuels her in The Ones Who Grieves‘ impressively gnarly final act.
There are no end of unpleasant moments in the film to make viewers squirm in the seats and avert their eyes, but not all of them land. The blood-curdling physical violence and body horror is toe-curdling and grotesque whether it is coming in sudden bursts, or scenes of prolonged exposure leaving you anticipating the eventual horror. But the elements of sexual violence feel incongruous and unnecessary in the wider plot, leaving a sour taste in the mouth and the feeling that The Ones Who Grieve could have made the points it is making and explored the themes it is without this added layer of cruelty.
Despite its missteps, The Ones Who Grieve is another nasty achievement for Quarxx who is becoming well known for his bleak and nihilistic brand of cinema that confronts the darkest parts of human nature. While not all of its elements work and some feel out of place, the film utilises its low budget well and delivers a thought-provoking narrative to make your blood run cold and hair stand on edge.
The Ones Who Grieve had its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest 2026 on Friday, 18 September
