La Gradiva

Marine Atlan makes her feature directorial debut with La Gradiva, a French-Italian co-production that premiered in October 2026. The film follows a group of Parisian high school seniors on an educational trip to Southern Italy, where the ancient ruins of Pompeii serve as both setting and catalyst for their personal upheaval. Colas Quignard stars as Toni, while Antonia Buresi plays their Latin teacher Madame Mercier. Mitia Capellier-Audat appears as James, and Suzanne Gerin takes on the role of Suzanne. Hadya Fofana and Rouge Isaac round out the cast as Angela and Amaury.

Writers Marine Atlan and Anne Brouillet crafted a script that blends the visceral energy of youth with the haunting stillness of antiquity. Cinematographers Atlan and Pierre W. Mazoyer captured the production using natural light and handheld cameras to create an intimate atmosphere. Producers Inès Daïen Dasi oversaw the project for Les Films du Poisson, BiBi Film, and ARTE France Cinéma. This drama explores themes of male friendship, queer awakening, and the complex relationships within Generation Z against a backdrop of impending doom. [edit]

A cohort of French high school seniors from Paris boards a bus bound for Southern Italy, expecting a standard academic excursion into classical history. Their destination is the archaeological site of Pompeii and the bustling city of Naples, places chosen to connect them with the tragic final moments of 79 CE when Mount Vesuvius erupted. The students arrive eager but quickly find the rigid structures of school life dissolving under the relentless Italian sun. As they wander through petrified streets and encounter the plaster casts of victims frozen in time by volcanic ash, the trip transforms into something far more visceral than a lesson in ancient history.

The narrative centers on the shifting dynamics within this small group of teenagers. Toni navigates his identity and place within the hierarchy of peers, while his friendship with James forms the emotional backbone of the story. Their bond is tested by unspoken romantic feelings and the confusing nature of their emerging sexuality. Madame Mercier acts as a chaperone but becomes entangled in the emotional landscape of her charges, observing the raw vulnerability of her students as they shed their social masks. The presence of the ancient dead seems to catalyze a reckoning for the living; the students begin to question their futures and the permanence of their own lives.

Simmering desires erupt among the group, leading to a series of encounters that are both tender and reckless. The juxtaposition of the students' fleeting, volatile youth against the permanent, silent ruins creates a palpable sense of existential dread. They are drawn to the ruins not just for their historical significance but because the site mirrors their own internal states of ruin and reconstruction. A particular focus remains on the relationship between the boys and the subtle currents of attraction that flow through the group. The film captures the specific texture of teenage life, the awkwardness, the intensity, and the terrifying realization that childhood is ending.

The story builds towards a crescendo of emotional and physical intimacy as the characters confront their vulnerabilities in a foreign land. Moments of quiet reflection weave together with scenes of wild abandon, capturing the essence of a generation trying to find its footing in an unstable world. As the trip draws to a close, the group must decide what they will carry back to France. Will they remain unchanged, or will the experience of walking among the ghosts of Pompeii fundamentally alter their trajectories? The film maintains a respectful distance from the specific outcomes of their relationships, leaving the audience with a profound sense of anticipation regarding how these young lives will diverge after this shared, transformative journey.[edit]