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PIFF 42 Official Selection

Jessica Forever

Directed by Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel

France • 2018 • 97 mins. • In French, English with subtitles

Showtimes & Past Screenings

Up-and-coming filmmakers Poggi and Vinel bring us a video-game-influenced, hyper-stylized blast. Led by the mysterious Jessica (Aomi Muyock), a pack of “lost boys” with different skill sets (a la Mortal Kombat), but a shared understanding of the world and its cruelty, are on the incessant run from a techno-fetishistic army of killer drones which seeks to wipe them off the face of the Earth. In between gun battles and kitten-petting sessions, Jessica and the boys change costume more often than Lady Gaga, always fashionably ready for the next fight in their search for lasting peace. Jessica Forever is a sui generis dystopian sci-fi adventure like you’ve never seen— a glimpse into the future of cinema. “Its audacity, which will obviously leave no viewer feeling indifferent and which will undoubtedly have strong detractors and fervent followers, makes it a potentially cult title.” —Fabien Lemercier, Cineuropa.

Filmography: First feature

Content warning: scenes of violence

Sponsored by MUBI and TV5Monde

Appears in: 42nd Portland International Film Festival, PIFF 42: New Directors

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