CHIMÈRES
2026 · 2m
Directed by Emma Rolland
Genres: coming-of-age, drama, sci-fi
Tones: contemplative, dark, melancholic
Lisa, 19 and ill at ease in her own skin, discovers a mysterious site offering to 'rent' her a perfect appearance for a few hours in exchange for a personal memory — but the miracle solution becomes an addictive spiral that costs her emotions, bonds, and identity.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
The premise is ripe—body-renting as metaphor for self-erasure, capitalism literally eating your memories—but it feels dutiful, like Rolland's executing a concept rather than weaponizing it. Where's the twist that makes you actually *uncomfortable*?
A cleanly composed descent into addiction wrapped in sci-fi clothing; Rolland demonstrates formal control and a clear visual language, though the thematic architecture sits closer to Black Mirror than to anything that pushes the form itself.
That exchange mechanic—trading memory for appearance—is the whole film, and Rolland trusts it completely: no exposition, just Lisa's face during the transaction, the micro-performance of someone learning to live without what she just sold. Two minutes and it *lands*.