

While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar's role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy.
Acting
Shira Haas's pre-'Unorthodox' breakout—haunting physicality.
Direction
Shalom-Ezer refuses exploitative gaze; horror lives in implication.
Cinematography
Saturated domesticity vs. bleached fantasy realms.

Director
Tali Shalom-Ezer
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Shalom-Ezer studied clinical psychology before filmmaking; the dissociation mechanics are clinically precise.
Shira Haas was 19 playing 12—her physical smallness and childlike affect sold the age gap.