Chico
2024 · 23m · France
Directed by Théo Abadie
Tones: absurdist, darkly comic, tender
Jojo, a clumsy young gay squatter in Brussels, sets out to repair a washing machine to satisfy Lucien, the man he desires — a frantic quest across the city in which he'll risk anything.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
A queer comedy about desperation dressed as domestic repair—the premise is ridiculous enough, but Abadie resists the easy punchline and lets the humiliation breathe, which is precisely why most scouts will miss what's actually subversive here.
Abadie positions himself within a lineage of Brussels-set comedies that treat the city as a character of romantic absurdity, though the formal control here—the rhythm of Jojo's failures—feels more in conversation with early Vigo than with contemporary festival fare.
The entire film hinges on Abadie's decision to shoot Jojo's physical comedy in real time rather than cut for laughs; that single restraint—letting the squatter's body move through space without editorial mercy—transforms what could've been sitcom into something genuinely tender and strange.
Festivals
- Palm Springs International ShortFest 2025, Best LGBTQ+ Short
- Brooklyn Film Festival 2025, Best Actor (Male)