05/09/2026 - VENICE 2026: Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni apply their distinctive signature to a new genre, the modern western

With their first two features, Madly in Life and The (Ex)perience of Love, Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni have established their unique cinematic language as a blend of spontaneous dialogue backed by thorough rehearsal work, frequent jump cuts, often allegorical costumes and sets, and more dreamlike, choreographed sequences punctuating the narrative. All of these signature traits can be found in their new endeavour, Diane in the Loop – presented in the Orizzonti section of the 83rd Venice Film Festival –, where they play with the traditional tropes of the western genre, updating and feminising them.

It all begins with Diane (Ninon Borsei), a modern young woman determined to live life on her own terms, especially when it comes to sex and love… unless the story doesn’t begin with her at all? When Diane learns that her mother (Sandrine Blancke) was raped in her youth, she can’t understand why this trauma was kept secret for so many years. Without telling her mum, unaware of what she has put in place to overcome her trauma, Diane resolves to avenge her by tracking down the rapist, hoping it is not too late. She thus leaves the city for the North Sea coast – her own Far West –, meeting, along the way, several characters who help her clear her head, starting with an intriguing cyclist (Lucas Meister) who seriously calls into question what she thought she knew about men.

In line with their usual approach, the filmmaking duo opts for a whimsical tone to tackle a serious subject. After dealing with old age and neurodegenerative diseases, followed by a story on infertility and fidelity, this time, they turn to the intergenerational transmission of trauma and to what we do, as adults, with the inherited weight of the sexual violence not only suffered, but also perpetrated by our parents. By leaning into the western genre, they orchestrate their film around the contrast between the seriousness of the main theme and the lightness of the situations they concoct – ie, between the sophisticated artifice of their mise-en-scène and the harshness embedded in interpersonal relationships. Provided the viewer embraces the conceit, which distances them from the characters’ feelings and emotions, allowing them to truly reflect upon the situation, they shall also enjoy reimagining the western genre through the prism of a new approach to gender identities and may even, together with the atypical duo formed by Ninon Borsei and Lucas Meister, reconsider the dynamics at play within the heterosexual couple, shaped by centuries of a culture of domination.

For Diane in the Loop, Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni have teamed up for the first time with Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve. The film was also produced by the French outfit Marianne Productions. International sales are handled by Pyramide, which will distribute the film in France, while Imagine is in charge of its release in Belgium.

(Translated from French)