In her striking sophomore feature, Léa Mysius crafts an intoxicating fusion of social realism, coming-of-age drama, and dark fantasy. The Five Devils (Les cinq diables) presents a world where scent functions as a time machine, and unresolved past traumas resurface under the guise of an almost supernatural mystery.
Ten-year-old Vicky (a extraordinary Sally Dramé) possesses a rare gift: a hyper-developed sense of smell. She meticulously collects scents in tightly sealed jars, capable of reproducing almost any aroma—including that of her beloved mother, Solange (Adèle Exarchopoulos).
Their quiet, albeit emotionally chilly life in a remote Alpine village is disrupted by the sudden arrival of Julia (Swala Emati), the estranged sister of Vicky's father. Julia's reappearance triggers deep unrest within the community and inside Solange herself. When Vicky manages to synthesize Julia's scent, she undergoes a bizarre phenomenon—transported back into the past as a silent observer to a complex, passionate, and tragic love triangle that ultimately led to her own birth.
🎨 Style & Direction
Léa Mysius masterfully translates scent into a captivating visual and narrative device:
Scent as Cinema: Rather than treating scent as a mere stylistic trick, Mysius uses it as a key to memory, obsession, repressed identity, and desire.
Adèle Exarchopoulos at Her Peak: As Solange—a woman trapped in provincial routine and a suffocating marriage—Exarchopoulos delivers a deeply physical performance, balancing emotional exhaustion with a consuming, underlying passion.
Genre-Bending Realism: The narrative shifts seamlessly between family drama, mystery thriller, intimate queer romance, and subtle rural gothic horror.
Atmospheric Cinematography: Shot on tactile 35mm film, the chilly Alpine backdrops provide a striking visual contrast to the boiling emotional heat beneath the characters' surfaces.
🌟 Why It’s Worth Watching
Incredible Lead Dynamic: Adèle Exarchopoulos and young Sally Dramé anchor the film with magnetic, deeply intuitive performances.
A Fresh Queer Perspective: Avoids conventional coming-out tropes, instead framing queer passion through the lens of memory, destiny, and atmospheric fantasy.
Sensory World-Building: A truly unique cinematic experience that engages taste, touch, and smell through haunting visual composition.
💬 QueerFilmHub Perspective
“'The Five Devils' proves that suppressed identity and lost love can strike with the force of a natural element—a mesmerising blend of magic realism and raw queer passion.”
Have you watched The Five Devils yet? What’s your favorite genre-bending queer film? Let us know in the comments below! 👇
