Fantaisie
Dir. Isabel Pagliai France 2025 79’
French with English subtitles | Digital video
Isabel Pagliai’s first feature wrests something thrillingly inscrutable, even transcendental, out of what should be the mundanity of the everyday, of solitude.
Reminiscent of the lone protagonist in Claire-Louise Bennett’s book Pond, Louise folds together the quotidian and the existential, moving from a detached assessment of her fears and desires to an emotional intimacy which lays bare her most vulnerable thoughts. Fantaisie has yet to receive a distribution deal in this country, having received its UK premiere at the ICA in November. This is the only known chance to see it outside of London.
‘Reminiscent of a dark fairytale, Isabel Pagliai’s feature debut conjures a multitude of thresholds, lingering somewhere between documentary and fiction, dream and reality … Pagliai’s visual style is thrillingly eclectic.’ — Phuong Le, The Guardian
Level 1 Cinema
Pop-up bar open for drinks from 18.00. Doors open 18:30; Film starts 18:45.
