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La Gradiva

Play trailer 1:52 Poster for La Gradiva In Theaters Dec 18 2h 25m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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96% Tomatometer 26 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified Ratings
In the shadow of Vesuvius, a group of French teenagers on a class trip to Naples grapple with the anxiety and exhilaration of their upcoming high school graduation amid the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Toni (Colas Quignard), adrift and impulsive; his best friend, James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), popular, alluring, and self-possessed; and Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), an aspiring artist who feels rejected by her peers, contemplate faded frescoes and debate their generation's aspirations and shortcomings. While their exhausted but motivated teacher Mme. Mercier (Antonia Buresi) attempts to direct their attention to their breathtaking surroundings, the students' passions and insecurities lead them toward an irreversible fracture. Winner of the Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prize, Marine Atlan's revelatory debut feature imbues the coming-of-age story with a sense of mythic grandeur in this work of classical beauty and overwhelming emotion. Working as her own co-cinematographer, Atlan captures the dizzying contradictions of youth with an almost documentary-like precision.
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Cast & Crew

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Marine Atlan

Director

Colas Quignard

Toni

Suzanne Gerin

Suzanne

Mitia Capellier-Audat

James

Antonia Buresi

Mme. Mercier

Marine Atlan

Screenwriter

Critics Reviews

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Keith Uhlich (All (Parentheses)) (Substack) Oct 1, 2026
This gently tragic tale of French students on a school-trip-abroad to Pompeii has the feel of an obsessively worked-over assignment by the class goody-two-shoes. Top grades assured, less teacher loses tenure-track. Go to Full Review Peter Howell Toronto Star Sep 19, 2026
A naturalistic, quietly transporting gem by Marine Atlan. Go to Full Review Jessica Kiang Variety Sep 15, 2026
Simply one of the most piercingly accurate and immersive portrayals ever, of that fleeting moment when you are simultaneously the most forcibly socialized and possibly the loneliest you will ever be. Go to Full Review Dionar Hidalgo Algo Más Que Cine 2 days ago
9/10
Marine Atlan’s sensitive debut captures adolescence as an emotional volcano, where desire, insecurity, and rejection feel catastrophic. Patiently observed and beautifully acted, La Gradiva finds profound tenderness in the messy process of growing up. Go to Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews 6 days ago
5/5
La Gradiva is happy and funny and heartbreaking, often in the same scenes, and it’s miraculous how smooth everything flows over the course of its 145-minute runtime. Go to Full Review Nataliia Serebriakova FILMINK (Australia) Oct 6, 2026
17.6/20
The film can look almost like a holiday postcard one moment and like a premonition of catastrophe the next. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
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La Gradiva

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La Gradiva

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the shadow of Vesuvius, a group of French teenagers on a class trip to Naples grapple with the anxiety and exhilaration of their upcoming high school graduation amid the ancient ruins of Pompeii. Toni (Colas Quignard), adrift and impulsive; his best friend, James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), popular, alluring, and self-possessed; and Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin), an aspiring artist who feels rejected by her peers, contemplate faded frescoes and debate their generation's aspirations and shortcomings. While their exhausted but motivated teacher Mme. Mercier (Antonia Buresi) attempts to direct their attention to their breathtaking surroundings, the students' passions and insecurities lead them toward an irreversible fracture. Winner of the Cannes Critics' Week Grand Prize, Marine Atlan's revelatory debut feature imbues the coming-of-age story with a sense of mythic grandeur in this work of classical beauty and overwhelming emotion. Working as her own co-cinematographer, Atlan captures the dizzying contradictions of youth with an almost documentary-like precision.
Director
Marine Atlan
Producer
Inès Daïen Dasi
Screenwriter
Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet
Distributor
1-2 Special
Production Co
Les Films du Poisson, Bibi Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 18, 2026, Limited
Runtime
2h 25m
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