Stockholm syndrome meets queer awakening in 50 minutes of pure tension.
A very interesting thriller about the coming of age of a troubled young man searching his place in this world. Teenage boy Jonathan (Fabien de Marchi) is having a hard time living with his father and stepmother. On a whim, he steals some money and embarks on a journey of forbidden pleasures. He spends the night in abandoned building and wakes up bound and is held prisoner by Antoine (Johan Libéreau), a young drug dealer wanted by the police. The two boys forge an ambiguous relationship between violence, compassion and fascination. Victim, Jonathan ends up taking a liking to his tormentor.
Acting
Libéreau's unpredictable volatility against de Marchi's trembling stillness.
Direction
Legann crafts unbearable intimacy in cramped, rotting spaces.
Director
Cyril Legann
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of a wave of 2000s French queer cinema exploring toxic intimacy, alongside films like 'Wild Reeds' and 'Crustacés et Coquillages'.
The 50-minute runtime was reportedly a deliberate constraint — Legann wanted the compression of a short film with the emotional weight of a feature, forcing every glance to carry exposition.
FR
