Else (2026) Dir. Thibault Emin

Expanded from director Thibault Emin’s 2007 short film of the same name, Else boasts a really strong premise but struggles out of the starting gates. A bizarre virus which merges people with their surroundings forces the introverted Anx (Matthieu Sampeur) and extroverted Cass (Edith Proust) to hunker down in Anx’s apartment.

While there’s real chemistry between the leads, some of the writing in the opening half hour – which lays out the nature of the relationship (situationship) – leans too heavily into the quirkiness of these characters.

This eases later on as the tension ramps up, but for a film which is essentially a two-hander, chamber piece, the lack of connection to these characters is massively damaging.

It feels like a consequence of the filmmakers throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. From a visual perspective this works well, as we shift from the soft neon glow of Anx’s apartment, to stark, rapid-cut black and white sequences, and finally a hazy, sepia-tinged landscape that feels pulled from Tarkovsky’s Stalker. All of this is punctuated by impressive practical effects, with the shifts in style helping to raise the stakes.

But the hook comes a little too late. Shaving 15 minutes off the run-time and allowing some of the quirkiness to be explored while the pair are trapped together would have really benefited the pace.

It’s a shame because Emin’s theories behind the film are interesting; concerned with the dissolution of the self, our relationships with our surroundings, and the fear of the other. Yet it’s bogged down with an opening that fits the brief – as in, how our individuality can be diluted when we enter a relationship – but stalls the plot.

As Emin’s first feature, this will be an excellent calling card. Comparisons to Cronenberg will be inevitable, as both focus on the physical breakdown caused by our mental state and our surroundings.

The parallels go further as well, with Cronenberg’s debut Shivers is an imperfect hint at what the director would do later.

★★½

2.5 / 5

Matthew Tilt

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Else is on UK and Ireland digital platforms 2 March