AFFFF26: Enzo

The beautiful final work of the late Palme d’Or winner Laurent Cantet (The Class), brought to the screen by his longtime collaborator Robin Campillo (BPM, AF FFF18), ENZO is a tender meditation of adolescent longing, and the quiet rebellions that shape us.

16-year-old Enzo (extraordinary newcomer Eloy Pohu) has everything: a sun-drenched luxury home overlooking the Mediterranean, loving parents (Pierfrancesco Favino and Élodie Bouchez), and a future mapped toward privilege. Yet something unnameable pulls him to a different path and he commences a masonry apprenticeship, among people who work not because they choose to but because they have to.

On site he meets Vlad, a charismatic Ukrainian labourer who is facing pressure to return and fight in his country’s war against Russia. Vlad’s easy masculinity and uncertain future awaken something in the young man: he’s everything Enzo wishes he was. As their unlikely friendship deepens, Enzo will be forced to confront questions bigger than desire: about class, about duty, and about true courage.

Shot through with Campillo’s sensual eye and Cantet’s abiding compassion for the not-yet formed and searching, this is an enormously moving portrait of a teen stumbling toward himself. ENZO’s world premiere as the Opening Film of Cannes Directors’ Fortnight was rapturously received by both audiences and critics. It’s a lovely film.