Marine Atlan’s Debut La Gradiva Follows a School Trip to Pompeii

La Gradiva, the first feature by Marine Atlan, opens in French cinemas on 21 October. It was one of the discoveries of Cannes in May, winning the Critics’ Week Grand Prize, and has since played in Toronto, New York and Wrocław.

Atlan wrote the screenplay with Anne Brouillet. The title refers to Wilhelm Jensen’s 1903 novella Gradiva, the same story Sigmund Freud analysed in a separate essay.

What the film is about

Shortly before their final exams, a French high school class spends a week in Pompeii. Tours of the ruins and museums alternate with what matters more to the teenagers: first romances, jealousy and self-doubt. Toni looks for his maternal grandmother’s family in Italy while hiding a secret relationship from his classmates, Suzanne struggles with doubts about her own appeal, and teacher Madame Mercier tries to keep an eye on everyone. The trip turns out to mean far more to them than they expected.

Who is in it

Atlan cast mostly young non-professional actors:

• Colas Quignard as Toni;
• Suzanne Gerin as Suzanne;
• Mitia Capellier-Audat as James;
• Hadya Fofana as Angela;
• Antonia Buresi as Madame Mercier;
• Emmanuelle Lafon as Madame Paquin.

How it was made

Filming took place from 7 April to 21 May 2025 around Naples, at the National Archaeological Museum, in Torre del Greco and in Pompeii itself. The train scenes were shot at the end of October in Clermont-Ferrand on a vintage steam train. Pierre Mazoyer shared cinematography duties with Atlan, and Guillaume Lillo edited. The first cut ran four hours; the release version runs 145 minutes.

What critics say

Reviews have been close to unanimous: the film holds 98 out of 100 on Metacritic and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave it five stars, calling it stunning and superbly acted and directed. Marya E. Gates of IndieWire gave it an A and praised the cinematography and Colas Quignard’s performance, while Amber Wilkinson of Screen Daily noted how it avoids coming-of-age clichés.

When to watch

La Gradiva opens in France on 21 October and in the US on 18 December, with Fandango releasing it in Italy. Cast and stills are on the film’s page in our AMDB database.