Guru

After its world premiere at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles (which our media outlet covered), the film Guru will be released in France on January 28. This film marks the third collaboration between Yann Gozlan and actor Pierre Niney, after Un homme idéal and Boîte noire. The film is clearly contemporary in tone, almost anxiety-inducing, as it takes a head-on approach to the booming personal development industry, a symptom of a society in search of guidance and obsessed with performance. From the very first minutes, the viewer is immersed in the world of Matthieu Vasseur, alias Coach Matt, a charismatic figure at the head of spectacular seminars where slogans, galvanizing music, and meticulous staging transform the promise of well-being into a veritable show. This opening, immersive and deliberately overwhelming, already says a lot about Yann Gozlan's approach: to observe a system without detours, expose its mechanisms, and let the discomfort gradually set in. 

Matthieu Vasseur, played by Pierre Niney, is a man who built himself up from nothing, without a degree, to become a national icon of coaching.  He lives comfortably on the banks of the Seine, works hand in hand with his partner Marion Barbeau, an mpeccable behind-the-scenes strategist, and now dreams of international recognition symbolized by his American idol Holt McCallany, the chilling embodiment of an XXL guru ready to fill arenas in Las Vegas. One of the film's great successes lies in its clinical description of an empire built on the illusion of listening and empathy, where every gesture, every tear, every word is orchestrated via earpieces, cameras, and ultra-detailed files on the participants. The film shows with almost documentary-like precision how fragility becomes a raw material, exploited with formidable efficiency.

When the threat of a law to regulate the profession arises, the story shifts into a darker psychological thriller, gradually revealing the true nature of Matthieu Vasseur. Director and co-screenwriter Yann Gozlan skillfully plays on the moral ambiguity of his character, leaving room for doubt: does Matt sincerely believe he is helping others, or is he lying to himself to justify his methods? His toxic relationship with Julien, played by Anthony Bajon with a disturbing fragility and unhealthy devotion, is one of the most disturbing aspects of the film. Through him, Guru touches on something deeply troubling: the blind, almost mystical fascination that drives certain individuals to place their free will in the hands of a self-proclaimed guide.

Formally, the film impresses with its technical mastery. Antoine Sanier's cold and clinical cinematography accentuates the loneliness of power and the emotional emptiness that surrounds Matthieu Vasseur, while Chloé Thévenin's music envelops the story in a constant tension, sometimes heavy-handed but often effective. The seminars filmed like concerts, the circular tracking shots, and the fast-paced editing convey the frenzy of success and the headlong rush that characterize the main character. However, this aesthetic excess sometimes ends up detracting from the message, giving the film a demonstrative aspect that leaves little room for silence or nuance.

This is where the film Guru divides opinion. While Pierre Niney delivers a committed performance, oscillating between conquering confidence and creeping paranoia, his power of influence sometimes remains more theoretical than visceral. Conversely, Holt McCallany's presence as the American Guru imposes an almost immediate authority, highlighting by contrast a certain limitation in the construction of the French character. The film seems to want to denounce without ever fully delving into the intimate horror of manipulation, as if it were constantly hesitating between social satire, paranoid thriller, and character study. This indecision weakens the emotional impact at times, especially when the script multiplies the plot lines without always exploring them in depth.

Despite these reservations, Guru asserts itself as a relevant and perfectly mastered film that has the merit of asking essential questions about our relationship to authority, success, and the promise of ready-made happiness. It keenly observes a world where the line between sincere help and cynical exploitation is dangerously porous, and where positivity becomes a weapon of control. Without fully living up to its initial ambition, Yann Gozlan's film stands out as a solid thriller, rooted in its time and driven by a subject matter strong enough to continue to haunt the viewer long after the credits roll.

Guru
Directed by Yann Gozlan
Written by Jean-Baptiste Delafon, Yann Gozlan
Produced by Wassim Beji, Pierre Niney, Marc-Henri de Busschère
Starring Pierre Niney, Marion Barbeau, Anthony Bajon, Christophe Montenez, Holt McCallany, Jonathan Turnbull, Raphaëlle Simon, Tracy Gotoas, Léonie Simaga, Manon Kneusé, Paul Scarfoglio, Leanna Chea, Deborah Grall, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Pascaline Chotard
Cinematography: Antoine Sanier
Edited by Gregoire Sivan
Music by Chloé Thévenin
Production companies: WY Productions, Ninety Films, StudioCanal, Panache Productions, M6 Films
Distributed by StudioCanal (France)
Release date: January 28, 2026 (France)
Running time: 126 minutes

Seen on January 15, 2026 at the Forum des Images, theater 500 as part of the Allociné club

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A huge room, an intense clamor rising, illuminated faces turning fervently toward a man who is advancing toward them and trying to make his way through the delirious crowd. Hands reach out to touch him, chanting his name. This coach, their guru, Mathieu Vasseur, or rather Matt, comes to meet them and reassure them. His slogan, repeated tirelessly by his followers, “What you want is what you are,” is a powerful image of all these participants shouting with joy for this opening ritual of their personal development program. Thus begins the film Guru, which immediately plunges the viewer into an atmosphere of collective, even mystical, hysteria.

Matt has a gift for reaching out to people and addressing them by their first names. The camera then focuses on Julien, a newcomer who is initially intimidated, but Matt manages to persuade him to overcome his neurosis. An insatiable coach, he continues to inspire crowds day after day in his group sessions. He is convinced of the validity of his mission, like a messiah heralding good news, capable of healing and purifying lost souls. His audience, mostly from social media, is loyal and eternally grateful to him.

These life-size meetings are exhausting for Matt, who finds comfort and support in his wife and team. However, the coach is also a human being with his weaknesses, and little by little we leave this atmosphere of success and dynamism against a backdrop of sociology to approach a darker, more disturbing universe with palpable tension that continues to increase.

We now follow Matt with greater interest and a certain suspense, as bitterness and irritation seem to be dawning on him, sometimes leading him to dismiss former followers without reason and without mercy. Is he suddenly becoming aware of his limitations? How far is he willing to go to keep his job and his aura? After so many years, does he still believe in his speeches?

How does he view his audience? These are all questions that viewers will ask themselves. The following scenes shed light on the situation and take the film into another dimension that will delight fans of psychological thrillers. Pierre Niney is surprising and magnetic in the role of the guru, embodying his character with force, realism, and cynicism, impressive and chilling as he shouts himself hoarse in front of his audience. His physical transformation goes hand in hand with his growing awareness. This change in attitude inevitably leads to misunderstandings and rejection in his wake, with his wife Adèle, played excellently by Marion Barbeau, being one of the first to be affected.

We can say that the gamble has paid off in the embodiment of this coach with a dual personality, a masterful performance by Pierre Niney that requires a great deal of skill and brings credibility to the character of this guru. Also noteworthy is the sensitive and dazzling Anthony Bajon in the role of Julien, the new follower. Director Yann Gozlan has created a thrilling script with all the right ingredients: mystery, emotional scenes, hope, suspense, betrayal, and violence. It should be seen not only as a thriller but also as a parody of the cult of performance.

Guru
Directed by Yann Gozlan
Written by Jean-Baptiste Delafon, Yann Gozlan
Produced by Wassim Beji, Pierre Niney, Marc-Henri de Busschère
Starring Pierre Niney, Marion Barbeau, Anthony Bajon, Christophe Montenez, Holt McCallany, Jonathan Turnbull, Raphaëlle Simon, Tracy Gotoas, Léonie Simaga, Manon Kneusé, Paul Scarfoglio, Leanna Chea, Deborah Grall, Laurie Catherine Winkel, Pascaline Chotard
Cinematography: Antoine Sanier
Edited by Gregoire Sivan
Music by Chloé Thévenin
Production companies: WY Productions, Ninety Films, StudioCanal, Panache Productions, M6 Films
Distributed by StudioCanal (France)
Release date: January 28, 2026 (France)
Running time: 126 minutes

Seen on January 15, 2026 at the Forum des Images, theater 500 as part of the Allociné club

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