Nino (dir. Pauline Loquès)

by Jack Martin | Jun 21, 2026

Certificate: 15

Running Time: 97 mins

UK Distributor: Curzon

UK Release Date: 19 June 2026

WHO’S IN NINO?

Théodore Pellerin, William Lebghil, Salomé Dewaels, Jeanne Balibar, Camille Rutherford, Estelle Meyer, Victoire Du Bois, Mathieu Amalric

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

Pauline Loquès (director, writer), Maud Ameline (writer), Sandra da Fonseca (producer), Lucie Baudinaud (cinematographer), Clémence Diard (editor)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

A young man (Pellerin) contemplates his existence after a concerning diagnosis…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON NINO?

You thought that you had it rough on your last birthday? Maybe that creeping sense of time had finally caught up to you and held you in an inescapable cycle of existential dread as a result of aging like every other person on the planet? Then thank your lucky stars that you’re not the titular character of debut filmmaker Pauline Loquès’ Nino, a quietly powerful film about a guy who’s having the least desirable birthday weekend that one could hope (or not hope) for.

That’s because, in the opening moments of the film, Nino (Théodore Pellerin) – a Paris-based young man who’s about to kick-start the final year of his twenties – receives word that the strange neck pains he’s been having recently are due to the fact that he’s got throat cancer. Specifically, a unique kind that comes from catching a sexually-transmitted infection that lingers and eventually becomes malignant when untreated. The good news is that, due to his youth and the fact that they’ve caught it fairly early, he’s eligible to begin a course of chemotherapy the following Monday, but since it will practically render him infertile he’s also advised to produce some sperm into a container so that it can be frozen and used for family planning further down the line. What’s more, he’s advised to find someone that can accompany him to his first chemo appointment, so long as he actually works up the courage to tell those closest in his life, from his doting mother (Jeanne Balibar) to best mate Sofian (William Lebghil), all of whom are keen to happily celebrate Nino’s birthday weekend.

So begins a composed and meaningful mini-odyssey for Nino, for because he’s somehow misplaced the keys to his apartment, he’s left to wander the streets of Paris essentially looking for two things: one, a place to have a decent wank; and two, someone to confide in as the reality of his newly diagnosed condition settles in. It’d be a bit of a spoiler to say more, but he may have a chance with at least one of those things after bumping into old schoolmate Zoé (Salomé Dewaels), who’s now a single mother that is arguably in a more precarious position than the cancer-ridden Nino is.

But for the latter character’s story, Loquès doesn’t opt for an easy “woe is me” type of melancholy, instead focusing on the abnormal indifference that Nino initially treats his situation. It’s not like he’s totally unconcerned, but for reasons that remains largely under wraps – the only hint being the seemingly accidental death of his father during his childhood – Nino doesn’t seem to want those around him to be concerned for his well-being, hiding his diagnosis behind false (or possibly not?) confessions of being depressed or just wanting to celebrate his birthday like anyone else would. Loquès’ easy-flowing, naturalistic script and direction gives the character a wavering autonomy as he drifts through Paris contemplating his immediate future, one that already doesn’t hold much promise seeing as he’s stuck in a fairly dull job and is currently in between relationships – his ex-girlfriend (Camille Rutherford) is in the process of moving over to Montreal when we, along with Nino, visit her – while he himself is uncertain about whether he even wants to go through with the life-saving procedure.

Pellerin, a fine young actor who’s left lasting impressions in the likes of Lurker and Never Rarely Sometimes Always, winds up steering the whole ship with a non-showy lead performance where he gets to impress while saying very little and letting much of his subtle expressions do the heavy lifting. Nino’s boyish exterior masks a mature and deeply insecure nature that the actor wisely keeps contained, turning his seemingly vacant body language into an endless canvas of youthful uncertainty that will be instantly relatable to anyone of this current generation that has experienced such ambiguity with their own existence. It’s a remarkable turn by Pellerin, who endlessly holds your attention as he tries his very best to hold it all together during this chaotic weekend of his, with the few moments where he does get to emotionally unwind feeling cathartic in how comically blunt they can be.

Any legitimate criticisms are limited, though chief among them is its lack of genuine stakes. It’s fairly obvious from early on which direction the movie is ultimately going to go, as well as what decisions certain characters are bound to make, which can make aspects of the loose narrative feel a tad predictable. Even when there is a deadline to meet, which in and of itself factors heavily into the underlying drama, the way that it’s resolved feels a bit too neat and tidy as well as a bit too convenient to match the wholly realistic tone that Loquès is otherwise aiming for with her direction.

Those things aside, Nino is a firm debut for the filmmaker, one that carries a clear sense of empathy that isn’t always apparent but is absolutely felt within the film’s many subtle notions. Pellerin’s striking lead turn ensures that the audience is engaged despite it often feeling as though little of true consequence is happening, while certain other surprises – including helping a friend with their IVF injection, or even a cameo by Mathieu Amalric (also seen in next week’s French-language drama A Private Life) as a non-judgemental acquaintance in a local bathhouse – keep the flow nice and smooth, ensuring that the title character’s otherwise hectic birthday weekend remains one to remember.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Nino is a quiet and occasionally light, but always engrossing drama that takes viewers on a subtle odyssey of self-worth, anchored by a captivated lead turn by Théodore Pellerin that gives spirit to a conflicted young protagonist.