TIFF 2024: You Are Not Alone (Movie trailer in french with english subtitles & Theatrical Release on October 18 in Québec)
TIFF 2024: You Are Not Alone – A Strange and Beautiful Mash-Up of Sci-Fi, Romance, and Alienation
You Are Not Alone (Vous n’êtes pas seuls), directed by Marie-Hélène Viens and Philippe Lupien, is one of the most intriguing films hitting TIFF 2024. In this quirky, genre-bending feature, Viens and Lupien create a bold, emotionally charged exploration of loneliness, redemption, and what it means to truly connect—with a touch of sci-fi and a lot of heart.
The Story: Lonely in Montreal
Léo (played by Pier-Luc Funk) is a twentysomething pizza delivery guy living in Montreal. His life is stuck on a loop of delivering pizzas and getting drunk, barely holding on to a thread of meaning. He’s lost, lonely, and not doing much to fix it. But just when things seem like they can’t get worse, he meets Rita (Marianne Fortier), a musician with a kind heart who sees potential in Léo. For the first time in a long while, Léo’s life seems to take a turn for the better.
There’s just one problem—an alien (François Papineau) has set its sights on him, preying on Montreal’s isolated men. And even though Léo’s luck seems to be changing, the alien doesn’t seem to care.
A Genre Mash-Up Like No Other
Viens and Lupien’s You Are Not Alone is not your typical alien invasion or love story. In fact, it’s both—and neither at the same time. The film mixes the offbeat romance of P.T. Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love with the eerie, unsettling atmosphere of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, blending emotional depth with a sci-fi twist that keeps things both grounded and totally out there.
Léo’s journey from a sad, aimless life to one of tentative hope and connection is complicated by the alien stalking him—a creature that metaphorically represents the darker side of alienation, feeding off the loneliness that’s all too common in the modern world. Yet, at its core, You Are Not Alone is about finding love and meaning, even when the odds seem stacked against you.
Why You Should Watch It
You Are Not Alone stands out for its delicate balance between the strange and the familiar. It’s an emotionally resonant story about two people finding each other at the right time, while also offering a fresh and weird twist with its sci-fi elements. Pier-Luc Funk delivers a standout performance as Léo, capturing both the frustration and vulnerability of a man on the verge of emotional collapse. Marianne Fortier shines as Rita, the open-hearted musician who sees Léo’s potential and tries to pull him back from the edge.
The film’s unique tone—a mix of gentle romance and existential sci-fi—makes it one of the most daring Canadian films in recent memory. It’s both deeply human and oddly otherworldly, reminding us that sometimes, the connections we seek can feel alien but are what we need most.
Showtimes at TIFF 2024
You can catch You Are Not Alone at TIFF 2024 during these showtimes:
- Thursday, September 5 – 9:45 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
- Wednesday, September 11 – 9:15 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
- Thursday, September 12 – 3:40 pm (Scotiabank Theatre)
If you’re into films that push boundaries and make you think, while also tugging at your heartstrings, You Are Not Alone is a must-watch at TIFF. It’s one of those films that feels familiar yet completely new—an alien love story you won’t forget.
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