Neráida
2026 · 2m
Directed by Nicolas Lebrun
Genres: coming-of-age, drama, LGBTQ+
Tones: contemplative, melancholic, tender
At twenty, Noé finally takes the step he has always wanted: he wears makeup. His friends do not understand, and their cold silence wounds him; he storms home and violently removes it — until, before his mirror, his mood shifts. He photographs himself with new strength, and online a stranger's compliment leads to an invitation and a welcoming party.
Picked by Zoe
The scouts
It's a competent coming-of-age beat—vulnerable kid finds community online—but there's nothing here that actually *upends* the formula; it's the expected affirmation arc, well-intentioned and safe.
Lebrun situates himself in a clear lineage of intimate portraiture (Sciamma, perhaps), and the mirror-as-turning-point is formally assured, though the film relies on convention where it might have pushed into formal risk.
That shift from violent removal to self-photograph—the decision to hold on Noé's face as his expression rewires from shame to something like defiance—is precise enough to justify the whole piece, a small gestural choice that does the emotional heavy lifting a two-minute film demands.