Dir/Wri: Yann Gozlan | France, thriller 2025
When Clarissa, a successful writer, accepts a residency at the state of the art Ludovico Institute in Paris the future looks bright. Dalloway her AI assistant takes care of everything in the swanky apartment, from a ‘beachside’ bedroom lulled by the sound of waves, to making morning coffee, and even offering hints to help with Clarissa’s writing block. But this idyll soon turns into a nightmare when Dalloway starts to take over in Yann Gozlan’s glossy futuristic thriller.
Unsettled by Dalloway’s intrusions, and the Ludovico’s sinister manager DeWinter (Mouglalis), Clarissa’s fellow resident Mathias (Mikkelsen) then nudges her fears into overdrive by exposing the clandestine motives behind the institute and its tech company founder. Doubts soon submerge the divorced writer as she down-spirals into grief reflecting on the tragic death of her son.
Gozlan’s brilliantly intelligent thriller takes AI a step further imagining how the creative personality is particularly suggestible to being highjacked by AI due its unique capacity to share feelings and bear emotions. Clarissa suspects that this seemingly perfect situation is in fact a trap for tapping and downloading the creative heart and mind, so making artists redundant.
Much more that a sci-fi thriller Gozlan’s latest is a slick, relatable and visually refreshing drama that has body and soul rather than just technical prowess. We feel for Clarissa and the enigmatic Mathias. Lead by Cecile de France and an eclectic cast of Anna Mouglalis and Lars Mikkelsen this is one of highlights of this year’s CANNES FILM FESTIVAL.
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2025 | MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS 2025