Dir. Léa Mysius
2022, France, 96 min
French with English subtitles
Eight-year-old Vicky (newcomer Sally Dramé) has a mysterious gift: she can recreate any scent she comes across, even that of her beloved mother Joanne (Palme d’Or winner Adèle Exarchopoulos).
When Vicky’s estranged aunt suddenly returns to their mountain town, the invocation of her fragrance plunges the young girl back in time to unravel the mystery of Joanne’s fiery past with her now sister-in-law.
The acclaimed breakout from filmmaker Léa Mysius (screenwriter for Claire Denis and Jacques Audiard), The Five Devils forges a witchy and wildly imaginative fable out of family secrets and queer romance.
The Five Devils seek to expose the truth while covering topics that manage to make sincere, magical realist cinema with a message that the things we want will come to us, but only when we’re ready.
– Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily
The Five Devils interrogates the limits of forgiveness and the long shadow of the past; but at its core, it is a story about the bonds between mother and daughter.
– Dana Reinoos, Screen Slate
