Léa Mysius’s new film, an adaptation of Laurent Mauvignier’s bestseller Histoires de la Nuit, has premiered at the Cannes film festival. The home-invasion thriller is set in a remote dairy farm in rural France, where a quiet family celebration descends into a menacing standoff. While the film loses narrative momentum in its third act and features a twist that ultimately undermines itself, it delivers sinister rural strangeness and memorable performances.
The story follows Thomas (Bastien Bouillon), a hardworking dairy farmer who inherited the family smallholding after his father’s suicide. He lives with his glamorous wife Nora (Hafsia Herzi) and their daughter Ida. Their neighbour, an elegant artist played by Monica Bellucci, is a close confidante. The inciting incident is a viral video of the family performing a goofy dance, which irks Nora.
Financial stress looms: Thomas struggles to borrow €300 to fund Nora’s 40th birthday party. On the day of the celebration, three sinister men arrive at the farmhouse. Benoît Magimel, Paul Hamy and Alane Delhaye portray these mysterious figures, whose intentions are initially ambiguous. What follows is a claustrophobic series of confrontations between the intruders and each family member.
Magimel delivers a particularly menacing turn, described as a “gargoyle of menace”, with headbutting encounters between his character and others. The birthday party becomes increasingly tense and joyless. However, a key confrontation between Bellucci’s artist and Delhaye’s mobster falters, suggesting a script issue. Despite these flaws, the film effectively manages tension and offers a grimly compulsive viewing experience.
