Enzo (2026)

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.

Red Island (2024)

Direction: Robin Campillo
Country: France 

After a six-year hiatus, Robin Campillo—known for Eastern Boys (2013) and 120 BPM (2017)— returns with Red Island, a semi-autobiographical drama inspired by his childhood in Madagascar in the early ‘70s. While the film aims to portray a personal story and a broader reflection of a wounded nation still under French rule, it often feels more like a diffuse dream than a compelling coming-of-age tale. 

The narrative centers around Thomas (Charlie Vauselle), a sensitive eight-year-old boy who is obsessed with female superhero Fantomette, a fascination he shares with his observant friend, Suzanne (Cathy Pham). Thomas is the youngest son of Colette (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a disenchanted housewife, and Robert Lopez (Quim Gutiérrez), a French Army officer stationed at Madagascar’s military base 181, awaiting orders to leave the country. While Thomas finds solace in the fantasy worlds suggested by his comic books, he has a hard time understanding the bored adults around him. 

Despite its personal significance, Red Island suffers from a lack of clear narrative direction. Campillo’s well-intentioned but largely meandering approach succumbs to a melancholic tone and a lack of ambition. While the film is intimate and deeply political, it often feels too skeletal, failing to fully flesh out its themes. The final act, which abruptly shifts focus from the family dynamic to the Malagasy people’s struggle for freedom after twelve years of forged independence, feels underdeveloped and incomplete. 

Though there are moments of emotional depth and strong performances—Nadia Tereszkiewicz is phenomenal—Red Island ultimately doesn’t live up to expectations, becoming a film that is more fragmented than fully realized.