Misericordia (Alain Guiraudie, 2024)Morels sprout in the forests of France from late winter through spring. At once steeped in suspense and drop-dead funny, Misericordia is a sex comedy infused with thriller elements (or perhaps vice versa). Like most Guiraudie protagonists, Jérémie is inscrutable by design, a pattern of behaviors unlinked to any clear psychological, sexual, or historical profile. Sex is comedy, comedy is timing, and time, in the wayward maneuvers of Misericordia, is full of surprises. Nathan Lee is an assistant professor of film at Hollins University, and a longtime contributor to Film Comment.