Director: Marine Atlan
Writers: Marine Atlan, Anne Brouillet, Wilhelm Jensen
Stars: Colas Quignard, Suzanne Gerin, Mitia Capellier
Synopsis: A group of high school students sets off on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii. They are seized by a sense of vertigo. They allow themselves to be overwhelmed by desire and anger, until they surrender completely.
Most schools offer field trips near the end of your high school tenure to take you out of the curriculum and to provide students with new experiences. Although we sometimes take these trips for granted when young, they stay with us one way or another. The memories you had during these hours, days, or weeks come back on future trips, and maybe they change how you think about yourself or others. For the kids in the senior class of Mrs. Mercier (Antonia Buresi) in Marine Atlan’s superb La Gradiva (screening in the Semaine de la Critique at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival), it is a trip to Naples that will change their lives and reinvigorate them in the future.
French cinematographer-turned-filmmaker Marine Atlan uses this trip through the ruins of Mount Vesuvius, with the haunting plaster casts of the eruption back in AD 79 in the background, to explore the end of adolescence and the shift towards adulthood, as these kids will, in months, distance themselves from each other and go their separate ways. The trip, in and by itself, is a guide to help dissipate or release these repressed emotions these kids have before the rest of their lives begin. It is a testament to young love and acceptance, one that will question them in their romantic endeavors and existential crises. A few days away from home will spark a light inside them, illuminating feelings and desires they have struggled to articulate to their loved ones or classmates.
They become aware of their own fleeting youth. Altaln capsules this fragile moment with tenderness and understanding. While La Gradiva follows a big class of students, all of whom have their moment to express themselves and show their personalities, Atlan focuses mostly on two of them: Toni (Colas Quignard) and Suzanne (Suzanne Gerin). We meet them lurking as Toni’s close friend, James (Mitia Capellier-Audat), is trying to hook up with Angela (Hadya Fofana) on the train to Naples. From this moment, we learn a thing or two about them. Toni and Suzanne have personal issues that affect them emotionally. While the former struggles to find himself, the latter feels out of place and sees herself as less than the rest.
How does this lead to James? Well, the two are insecure younglings who want to be and feel adored by someone who loves them for who they are. They are lonely souls who carry the weight of being outcasts, Toni being the only openly gay kid in his class, and Suzanne staying on the outskirts until she reaches college, preferring a solitary lifestyle rather than one in groups. One desires companionship while the other a sense of endearment. However, the two of them are searching for the same thing: a human connection. Their journeys are less about romance and more about the desire to belong somewhere and someone. The two end up together against their will, paired for one of the many activities on the trip, but fate has called them up.
They ignore each other at first, yet when they realize their pain is rooted in a similar place and tied to one another in various ways, they begin to forge a beautiful friendship. La Gradiva offers a portrait of the stage between innocence and adulthood; the former is lost to make way for the latter, encompassing the tricky situations in which teens are left to decide who they want to be but cannot figure out exactly how to do so. Teens at this stage cling to another lost teen for answers and to figure things out, but it leads to further disparity and uncertainty. This is a time all of us have gone through, or if you’re a younger reader, will go through, and it is one of the most difficult–going onto a new stage in life, leaving behind the past and venturing forth by yourself.
It is a release that is both liberating and painful. This period between senior year and college marks the end of something for every student. Friendships, relationships, and home countries are left behind for a while, and then great changes come, because this is where you can truly find and understand yourself. The teacher of this class, Ms. Mercier, tries hard to inspire the students with her lectures and talks about art, nature, and the rich history behind every corner and landmark of Pompeii. She delivers them with great passion and enthusiasm, preaching about the beauty and timelessness of the place they are visiting. But the students listen with the backs of their ears, not because they want to ignore her or feel indifferent about the topics, but because they have bigger worries, and the feeling of running out of time is crawling up their spines.
A group of high school students sets off on a school trip to discover the ruins of Pompeii. They are seized by a sense of vertigo. They allow themselves to be overwhelmed by desire and anger, until they surrender completely.
Ms. Mercier knows that no matter what words she uses or inspirational quotes she throws at them, they are not going to heed that wisdom and, with the little time they have, rely on each other to figure things out. You can see it in her eyes: Buresi’s performance is defined not by what we see but by what she conceals. She has already gone through this phase and knows what it entails. From the moment they arrive in Naples, Ms. Mercier recognizes that feeling of restlessness and unease for the future. It oozes from their pores and becomes instantly noticeable, no matter how well they act the part, like Toni and Suzanne, who fake appearing cheerful while being unable to express what they are feeling on the inside.
These scenes are gut-wrenching because of how genuine and realistic Atlan portrays the kids’ hidden (and unhidden) pain. You remember your own experiences and how it felt to go through those days of uncertainty and goodbyes. There was a sense of liberation, with a twist of melancholy. Those conflicting emotions linger for a long time. It shapes how teenagers see themselves and the future that awaits them. Atlan understands that growing up is not a break from childhood, but rather a gradual process. It is in Atlan’s portrayal of our fears and desires when young that La Gradiva is so entrancing and effective, offering a beautiful meditation on the bittersweet inevitability of growing up.
