Direction: Robin Campillo
Country: Italy
Written by the late Laurent Cantet—known for The Class (2008) and Human Resources (1999)—and directed by his friend Robin Campillo, Enzo is a raw, powerful coming-of-age drama centered on a 16-year-old boy who needs desperately to find his place in the world and understand where he really belongs. He reaches a phase in his life where he tries to undecipher and adapt the best he can to a world of elusion. Immaculately portrayed by non-professional actor Eloy Pohu, Enzo, not without deep anguish and dramatic actions, gradually reveals more about his true self.
The film, co-produced by Jacques Audiard and the Dardenne brothers, compellingly expresses when the intimate clashes with the social environment that surrounds you in this lucid, simmering tale that, despising closure, prefers to embrace openness instead. Precise yet delicate both in terms of script and acting, Enzo is original in content, far from the usual clichés, while its beauty lies in the simplicity and objectivity of its filmmaking.
Crossing their visions and filmmaking styles, Cantet and Campillo turn adolescent desire and family tension into a ferociously raw journey, succeeding in creating a visceral, sensitive, and jarring portrait of a teenager in crisis.
