Cédric Jimenez’s Dog 51 plunges into a near future Paris run by ALMA, a predictive AI that decides who belongs where. When ALMA’s creator is assassinated, Salia (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Zem (Gilles Lellouche) are forced to investigate together, even though they represent opposite sides of a fractured city.
Jimenez builds the dystopia with tangible grit: rain slicked streets, neon buzzing against decay, and cameras lurking everywhere. The film echoes Blade Runner and Children of Men yet feels its own, with Paris’ districts carved into zones of privilege and despair. Exarchopoulos brings steely determination to Salia, while Lellouche counters with weary cynicism, making their reluctant partnership crackle with friction. Louis Garrel and Romain Duris add sly intensity in supporting roles.
Dog 51 moves with the pacing of a thriller but lingers on questions of justice and autonomy: who decides right from wrong when machines govern human lives? Jimenez doesn’t offer neat answers, instead he immerses viewers in ambiguity, daring us to wrestle with its implications. It’s stylish, unnerving, and unshakably timely, a festival standout that leaves you buzzing with unease long after the credits roll.
Dog 51 is playing at TIFF ’25. For more information, click here.
