Festivals - Deauville 2025: Thirteen Stories Shaping the New American Narrative

By Mulder, 12 august 2025

This year’s Deauville American Film Festival brings together thirteen diverse and daring works that capture the pulse of a shifting America. The official competition feels like a panoramic mosaic of stories, each piece reflecting the fragility and resilience of a generation caught between longing for lost innocence and confronting the hard edges of reality. These films, from intimate dramas to tense thrillers, navigate fractured relationships, generational trauma, and shifting landscapes—both physical and emotional. The beauty of Deauville lies not only in its curated cinematic lineup but in the electric, unpredictable exchange between filmmakers, audiences, and juries. It’s in this space—where applause can be deafening or a pause can hang in the air—that cinema feels alive, its impact immediate and unfiltered.

Opening with a note of intrigue, Lucio Castro’s After This Death unfurls as a delicate but dangerous dance between identity and obsession. Anchored by Mía Maestro’s layered performance as a woman whose affair with an enigmatic underground musician spirals into chaos, the film offers both the intoxicating allure of the unknown and the disintegration of a carefully constructed life. With Lee Pace, Rupert Friend, and Gwendoline Christie adding gravitas, Castro crafts a labyrinth of fractured relationships, obsessive fandom, and a desperate quest for self-definition. The film’s reception in the United States hinted at its quiet power, and in Deauville it’s likely to resonate with viewers who recognize themselves in its uneasy marriage of desire and self-preservation.

Eleanor the Great, the directorial debut of Scarlett Johansson, presents a different kind of resilience: that of 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, played with luminous dignity by June Squibb. After losing her best friend, Eleanor’s return to New York becomes a journey into memory, renewal, and unexpected companionship. Supported by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Jessica Hecht, and guided by Hélène Louvart’s intimate cinematography, the film avoids sentimentality, instead weaving a portrait of aging as an act of rebellion against invisibility. It’s the kind of quiet, human story that Deauville audiences tend to embrace, a reminder that cinema can be both tender and fearless.

In I Live Here Now, Julie Pacino plunges us into a surreal psychological labyrinth. Lucy Fry delivers a haunting turn as a woman trapped in a hotel where violent echoes from her past refuse to stay buried. With Madeline Brewer and Sheryl Lee amplifying the unease, the film blurs the line between memory and nightmare. Pacino’s debut brims with experimental tension, and its French premiere is bound to provoke debates about the fine art of cinematic disorientation.

Jaclyn Bethany’s In Transit offers a quieter, more contemplative rhythm. Set in a small Maine town, it follows a barmaid (played by Alex Sarrigeorgiou) and a painter (François Arnaud) whose unexpected collaboration forces them to reassess their notions of happiness. With Jennifer Ehle adding elegance to the cast, the film feels like a small-town whisper—subtle but capable of lingering long after the credits.

From the art world’s underbelly comes Alex Russell’s Lurker, in which Théodore Pellerin infiltrates the world of a rising artist played by Archie Madekwe. With Havana Rose Liu and Sunny Suljic adding further texture, Russell crafts a sleek, paranoid thriller about ambition, performance, and the price of access. The buzz from Sundance suggests it could be one of the festival’s most divisive entries.

In Olmo, Fernando Eimbcke captures the tender chaos of adolescence through the story of a fourteen-year-old boy caring for his father with multiple sclerosis. When Aivan Uttapa’s character meets Nina Sandoval, the world shifts. Produced by Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, the film’s understated beauty lies in its refusal to sentimentalize hardship, instead portraying resilience as an instinct rather than a choice.

Cole Webley’s Omaha takes viewers on a cross-country odyssey sparked by family tragedy. John Magaro delivers a restrained but moving performance, alongside Molly Belle Wright and Wyatt Solis, in a story about siblings confronting grief and wonder in equal measure. Critics have praised its naturalism, and its Deauville screening will likely strike chords of nostalgia and loss.

In Rebuilding, Max Walker-Silverman returns to the American West in the aftermath of devastating fires. Josh O’Connor’s portrayal of Dusty, a man sifting through the ashes of both land and family, is said to be quietly mesmerizing. Surrounded by a cast that includes Meghann Fahy and Amy Madigan, this Sundance standout leans into the power of community and the slow, stubborn act of starting over.

Perhaps the most politically charged film in the lineup, Christian Swegal’s Sovereign sets a manhunt against the volatile backdrop of anti-government extremism. With Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, and Dennis Quaid anchoring the cast, it’s a tense meditation on authority, identity, and the perilous edges of American ideology.

With The Chronology of Water, Kristen Stewart steps behind the camera to adapt Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir into an immersive cinematic poem. Starring Imogen Poots and Thora Birch, and produced by Ridley Scott, the film blends raw autobiographical pain with a love letter to literature as salvation. Early festival audiences have called it both challenging and cathartic.

In The End, Joshua Oppenheimer trades the documentary form that made his name for a sprawling narrative set decades after an environmental catastrophe. With Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, and Michael Shannon in a claustrophobic underground drama, the film feels Shakespearean in its family tensions and operatic in scope, echoing the moral weight of survival tales like The Road.

Kate Beecroft’s The New West (East of Wall) blends modern Western grit with a tender coming-of-age undercurrent. Tabatha Zimiga and Porshia Zimiga lead a cast that includes Scoot McNairy and Jennifer Ehle, capturing grief, defiance, and the fragile bonds of found family on a failing ranch in the Badlands.

Closing the competition is Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, a razor-sharp dissection of cruelty and peer pressure. With Joel Edgerton as a camp coach navigating the brutal social hierarchy of an all-boys summer camp, it’s both a period piece and a timeless portrait of the corrosive nature of fear-driven communities.

After this death
Written and directed by Lucio Castro
Produced by Caroline Clark, Patrick Donovan, Anita Gou, David Hinojosa, Luca Intili            
Starring  Mía Maestro, Lee Pace, Rupert Friend, Philip Ettinger, Gwendoline Christie, Vivi Tellas, Jack Haven, Timeca M. Seretti,; Marita de Lara, Jordan Carlos, Stephanie Jean Lane, Laurent Rejto, Yi Liu, Ollie Robinson, Colin Ryan
Music by Robert Lombardo, Yegang Yoo
Cinematography : Barton Cortright
Edited by Kali Ann Kahn
Production companies : Zam, Kindred Spirit
Distributed by
Release date : June 9 2025 (United States)
Running time : 96 minutes
Synopsis : A woman's affair with an enigmatic underground musician throws her life into chaos when he disappears. Forced to fend off his obsessive fans, she also has to confront her fractured marriage, and reclaim her identity and her future.

Eleanor the great
Directed by Scarlett Johansson
Written by Tory Kamen
Produced by Scarlett Johansson, Jessamine Burgum, Charlotte Dauphin, Kara Durrett, Keenan Flynn, Jonathan Lia, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler
Starring  June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jessica Hecht, Erin Kellyman
Cinematography : Hélène Louvart
Edited by Harry Jierjian
Music by Dustin O'Halloran
Production companies : Maven Screen Media, Dauphin Studio, These Pictures, Pinky Promise, Wayfarer Studios, Content Engineers, MacPac
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics (United States and Canada), TriStar Pictures (International)
Release dates : May 20, 2025 (Cannes), September 26, 2025 (United States), November 19, 2025 (France)
Running time : 98 minutes
Synopsis : Eleanor Morgenstein, 94, is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her best friend. She returns to New York after living in Florida for decades.

I Live Here Now
Written and directed by ;Julie Pacino
Produced by Kyle Kaminsky, Julie Pacino
Starring Lucy Fry, Madeline Brewer, Matt Rife, Sheryl Lee
Cinematography : Aron Meinhardt
Edited by Mátyás Fekete, Raaghav Minocha
Music by Jackson Greenberg, Pam Autuori
Production companies : Punch Once, Tiny Apples, Artak Pictures
Distributed by Utopia
Release date : July 24, 2025 (Fantasia)
Running time :  91 minutes
Synopsis : A woman finds herself trapped in a hotel, where violent echoes from her past come to life.

In transit
Directed by Jaclyn Bethany
Written by Alex Sarrigeorgiou
Produced by Jaclyn Bethany, C.C. Kellog, Alex Sarrigeorgiou, Sarah Keyes, Tara Sheffer
Starring  Alex Sarrigeorgiou, François Arnaud, Jennifer Ehle
Cinematography : Sam Tetro
Edited by Shannon C. Griffin
Music by Juampa
Production companies : Valmora Productions, BKE Productions, Little Language Films, Good Question Media
Release date : August 17, 2025 (Edinburgh)
Running time : 85 minutes
Synopsis : In a small town in Maine, a young barmaid with no history agrees to pose for a painter in the midst of an existential crisis who has come to recharge her batteries as part of an artist residency program. This unexpected encounter will push the two women to question their vision of happiness and life.

Lurker

Written and directed by Alex Russell
Produced by Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Jack Selby, Galen Core, Olmo Schnabel, Francesco Melzi D'Eril, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell, Archie Madekwe
Starring  Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox,  Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri, Sunny Suljic
Cinematography : Pat Scola
Edited by David Kashevaroff
Music by Kenneth Blume
Production companies : High Frequency Entertainment, MeMo Films, Twin Pictures
Distributed by Mubi (United States and Canada), Focus Features (International)
Release dates : January 26, 2025 (Sundance), August 22, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 101 minutes
Synopsis : An employee infiltrates the inner circle of a rising artist.

Olmo

Directed by Fernando Eimbcke
Written by Fernando Eimbcke, Vanesa Garnica
Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Eréndira Núñez Larios, Michel Franco
Starring  Gustavo Sánchez Parra, Aivan Uttapa, Diego Olmedo, Andrea Suárez Paz, Rosa Armendariz
Cinematography : Carolina Costa
Edited by Mariana Rodríguez
Music by Giosuè Greco
Production companies : Plan B Entertainment, Teorema
Distributed by Film Constellation (United States)
Release date : 16 February 2025 (Berlinale)
Running time : 84 minutes
Synopsis : Fourteen-year-old Olmo takes care of his father, who has multiple sclerosis. When he meets Nina Sandoval, his world is turned upside down

Omaha 

Directed by Cole Webley
Written by Robert Machoian
Produced by Preston Lee
Starring  John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis
Cinematography : Paul Meyers
Edited by Jai Shukla
Music by Christopher Bear
Production companies : Sanctuary Content, Kaleidoscope Pictures, Monarch Content
Distributed by Greenwich Entertainment
Release date : January 23, 2025 (Sundance)
Running time : 83 minutes
Synopsis : After a family tragedy, siblings Ella and Charlie are awakened unexpectedly by their father and taken on a cross-country journey, discovering a world they have never seen before.

Rebuilding
Written and directed by Max Walker-Silverman
Produced by Jesse Hope, Dan Janvey, Paul Mezey
Starring  Josh O'Connor, Meghann Fahy, Kali Reis, Amy Madigan
Cinematography : Alfonso Herrera Salcedo
Edited by Jane Rizzo, Ramsi Bashour
Music by Jake Xerxes Fussell, James Elkington
Production companies : Cow Hip Films, Fit Via Vi, Present Company, Spark Features
Distributed by Bleecker Street (United States)
Release dates : January 26, 2025 (Sundance), November 7, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 95 minutes
Synopsis : In the American West, devastated by devastating fires, Dusty sees his ranch destroyed by flames. He finds refuge in a makeshift camp and slowly begins to find meaning in his life again. Surrounded by people who, like him, have lost everything, unexpected bonds are formed. Driven by the hope of reconnecting with his daughter and ex-wife, he strives to rekindle the fragile ties that bind them together. With hope, his determination to rebuild his life is reborn.

Sovereign

Written and directed by Christian Swegal
Produced by Nick Moceri
Starring  Nick Offerman, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Mann, Nancy Travis, Martha Plimpton, Dennis Quaid
Cinematography : Dustin Lane
Edited by David Henry
Music by James McAlister
Production company : All Night Diner
Distributed by Briarcliff Entertainment ((United States)
Release dates : June 8, 2025 (Tribeca), July 11, 2025 (US)
Running time : 100 minutes
Synopsis : A manhunt is organized by the police chief against a father and son who identify themselves as sovereign citizens, a group of anti-government extremists.

The chronology of water
Directed by Kristen Stewart
Written by Kristen Stewart, Andy Mingo
Based on The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch
Produced by Ridley Scott, Charles Gillibert, Yulia Zayceva, Max Pavlov, Svetlana Punte, Michael Pruss, Rebecca Feuer, Kristen Stewart, Maggie McLean, Dylan Meyer, Andy Mingo
Starring  Imogen Poots, Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Kim Gordon, Jim Belushi
Cinematography : Corey C. Waters
Edited by Olivia Neergaard-Holm
Production companies : Scott Free Productions, Forma Pro Films, CG Cinéma, Nevermind Pictures, Fremantle, Curious Gremlin, Lorem Ipsum Entertainment, Scala Films
Distributed by Les Films du Losange (France)
Release date : May 16, 2025 (Cannes), December 10, 2025 (France)
Running time : 128 minutes
Synopsis : Having grown up in an environment ravaged by violence and alcohol, young Lidia struggles to find her way in life. She manages to escape her family and enrolls in college, where she finds refuge in literature. Little by little, words offer her unexpected freedom...

The End

Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Written by Joshua Oppenheimer, Rasmus Heisterberg
Produced by Joshua Oppenheimer, Tilda Swinton, Signe Byrge Sørensen
Starring  Tilda Swinton, George MacKay, Moses Ingram, Bronagh Gallagher, Tim McInnerny, Lennie James, Michael Shannon
Cinematography : Mikhail Krichman
Edited by Niels Pagh Andersen
Music by Joshua Schmidt, Marius de Vries
Production companies : Neon, The Match Factory/Mubi, Final Cut for Real, The End MFP, Wild Atlantic Pictures, Dorje Film, Moonspun Films, Anagram
Distributed by Mubi (United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and Austria), Neon (United States)
Release date : 31 August 2024 (Telluride), December 6, 2024 (United States)
Running time : 149 minutes
Synopsis : Two decades after an environmental catastrophe forces humanity underground, a wealthy family—Mother, Father, and their sheltered 20-year-old Son—live in an opulent bunker carved from a salt mine alongside a few companions: Mother’s lifelong friend, an aging butler, and a doctor. The Son, raised entirely below ground, dreams of the outside world, finding solace in building scale models of history. Their insulated life is disrupted when they rescue a mysterious young woman found unconscious in the mines. As she struggles to adapt, tensions rise between her and the Mother, while she forms a tentative bond with the Son. Beneath the surface, guilt, secrets, and conflicting memories of the past fracture relationships, culminating in tragedy and revelations about the choices that brought them there. Years later, the Son and the Girl have a child, but questions about the future—and the moral cost of their survival—linger.

The New West (East of Wall)

Written and directed by Kate Beecroft
Produced by Lila Yacoub, Kate Beecroft, Melanie Ramsayer, Shannon Moss
Starring  Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle
Cinematography : Austin Shelton
Edited by Jennifer Vecchiarello
Music by Lukas Frank, Daniel Meyer-O'Keefe
Production companies : Station Road, Stetson's Kingdom
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics (United States), 
Release dates  : January 24, 2025 (Sundance), August 15, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 97 minutes
Synopsis : After the death of her husband, Tabatha- a young, tattooed, rebellious horse trainer- wrestles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing refuge for a group of wayward teenagers on her broken-down ranch in the Badlands.

The plague
Written and directed by Charlie Polinger
Produced by Lizzie Shapiro, Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, Derek Dauchy
Starring  Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen
Cinematography : Steven Breckon
Edited by Simon Njoo ASE, Henry Hayes
Music by Johan Lenox
Production companies : Spooky Pictures, The Space Program, Five Henrys, Image Nation Abu Dhabi
Distributed by Independent Film Company (United States)
Release dates: May 16, 2025 (Cannes), December 24, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 95 minutes
Synopsis : In the summer of 2003, at an all-boys summer water polo camp, socially anxious twelve-year-old Ben struggles to fit in amidst a ruthless social hierarchy. When he befriends Eli -- a lonely, acne-ridden outcast shunned by the others for allegedly carrying a contagious "plague" -- Ben becomes entangled in a cruel, escalating ritual of scapegoating and fear. As the lines between teasing and real harm blur, Ben is forced to confront his own complicity and the terrifying cost of belonging. A tense, darkly humorous coming-of-age story about masculinity, peer pressure, and the horrors that fester when cruelty masquerades as a game.

Thirteen films, thirteen different visions, and one unifying question: where is America headed? In a year when the country’s cultural identity feels at once fragile and fiercely contested, Deauville offers not answers but reflections—reflections in which audiences may see their own doubts, hopes, and contradictions staring back. Here, between the red carpets and the surf, cinema becomes not only a mirror but a meeting point, a reminder that stories are still the surest way to understand a world in motion.

(Source: press release)