5150 Elms Way

Plot

Elm's Way is a calm street in a small town. When Yannick falls from his bike, he knocks on the door of the Beaulieu residence, to call a cab home. Entering the house, Yannick hears a man screaming upstairs. When he finally encounters the source of the screams he realizes that Beaulieu has wounded the man and was holding him hostage. Beaulieu then locks down Yannick in fear of him calling the police. Over time he learns Beaulieu is a righteous psychopath and fanatical chess player who kills drug-dealers, pedophiles and other bad people for a better world.

Weeks pass and Yannick remains a prisoner, though is otherwise not mistreated by Baeulieu. He tries to escape, but is recaptured by Baeulieu's daughter Michelle, who breaks his leg. As he has done nothing wrong, Beaulieu doesn't want to kill Yannick and eventually agrees to let him go if he wins a game of chess against him, Beaulieu having never lost a game in his life so far. They play chess constantly, but Yannick never wins, though he rattles Baeulieu by once managing a draw. After Beaulieu's wife and daughter finally stand up to Beaulieu, they free Yannick. But Yannick has gone mad sitting locked in the room playing chess games against Beaulieu and doesn't leave, believing that the only option to stop Beaulieu is to win against him.

In the final showdown the two play a chess game in the cellar, where Beaulieu has conserved all of his victims and placed them as pieces on a giant chessboard. During the game, Beaulieu's little stepdaughter enters the cellar and witnesses her dead mother placed as a piece on the chessboard. She is then shot accidentally by Beaulieu, which renders him catatonic. The police arrive, free Yannick and arrest Beaulieu. Four months later Yannick is still madly obsessed with the interrupted chess game, so thoroughly consumed by the thought of the final position that he alienates himself from his girlfriend.

Cast

Production

The film was filmed at Melrose Studios in Saint-Hubert, Québec, Canada.

Awards

Éric Tessier won for his script the Audience Award at the Gérardmer Film Festival and Joan Patricia Parris was nominated for the Jutra Award for the best make-up.

Release

The film premiered on 9 October 2009 in Canada.