Nino

A bombshell medical diagnosis prompts a young man to reflect on life’s precious gifts in Nino, Pauline Loques’ delicately-handled debut feature which builds into a touching drama carried on a soulful, understated central performance from Theodore Pellerin.

Spiced up with some wry wit, cool music moments (Foals, Fontaines DC), a memorable cameo from Mathieu Amalric, and a touching-sexy use of Anaïs Nin erotica, this one’s a real keeper.

The miracle is that, from tragicomic opening up to a closing blast of Fontaines DC’s In the Modern World, Nino remains an affirmative experience throughout. Highly recommended.

In many ways it’s a shrewd sketch of the ways that real life, in all its embarrassment and banality, does not respectfully stop for bad news.

As superficially entertaining as it all is, it feels like Loquès is on a mission to keep things fun, lively and romantic, to the point where Nino wouldn’t be a massively different film if its hero had been given a clean bill of health.