#TIFF24 Review: You Are Not Alone (Discovery)

By John Corrado

The 2024 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5th to 15th, more information on tickets and showtimes can be found right here.

Léo (Pier-Luc Funk) is a lonely pizza delivery driver in Montreal, who becomes the latest target of John (François Papineau), an alien posing as an older cab driver, who draws isolated young men back to his apartment to lure them into the portal in his fridge. But Léo discovers a new reason to live when he meets Rita (Marianne Fortier), the attractive young musician that he ends up delivering pizza to one night.

The feature debut of Quebec co-directors Marie-Hélène Viens and Philippe Lupien, who have made a number of short films together, You Are Not Alone is a small film with a commanding visual style. Viens and Lupien bring a strong aesthetic to their film, and do a good job of establishing an eery, dream-like atmosphere, with cinematographer Ariel Méthot shooting Montreal at night in a way that evokes the neo-noir genre.

There are strong sci-fi undertones to their film, but at heart this is an intimate, touching romance, bolstered by the sensitive performances of Funk and Fortier, who are charming to watch together. Papineau too imbues a sadness to his portrayal of a middle-aged alien who feeds off others in order to survive. It’s a bold genre hybrid of low-fi sci-fi and bittersweet indie romance, that offers a number of evocative moments.

Film Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)