The Five devils (Le Cinq Diables) (2022 /Psychological Drama / Mubi )
Director – Lea Mysius
Cast – Sally Drame, Adele Exarchopoulos, Swala Emati
Somewhere in a little town in France , theres a little girl Vicky (Sally Drame) who lives happily with her parents. She adores her mom Joanne( Adele Exarchopoulos) and her biggest fear is losing her.
What’s unique about this little girl is her exceptional olfactory sense. Cataloguing various scents is her hobby. She has the power to discern different scents associated with a thing or person. This power is even stronger when the connect is stronger . She can even trace her mom from far away.
When her father’s sister arrives in their life after serving a prison sentence, it ruffles quite a few features in her home and in the town. Her aunt has a past accusation of arson besides being targeted for being queer & psychotic. Vicky finds a bottle of liquid in her aunt’s possession, smelling which ,she finds herself transported back to the times when her mother , father and her aunt were young teenagers and very close friends.
Through this power,she not only has a chance to know what went wrong in the past but also the reason for the strong connection to her aunt that has enabled this. That fire in the town years ago pivoted the life of four close friends.
Watch this intriguing story and decipher how Vicky’s life was connected to the past.
The film was compelling for me because of the intrigue factor with the mystical element. There ‘s an angle of time loop which I always find fascinating. Besides , the little star’s performance is awesome .She delivers a perfect mix of innocence and maturity , without overdoing it even by an iota. She literally carries the film on her shoulders.
This niche film is crisp at just about 90 minutes. If this genre appeals to you ,or you like films that require deciphering even after they have ended, then give this one a try .
Would love to know how you decipher it .
BHAVNA TALKIES 