{{Short description|2022 film by Léa Mysius}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}} {{Infobox film | name = The Five Devils | image = Les cinq diables (Léa Mysius).png | alt = | caption = Theatrical release poster | native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Les Cinq Diables}} | director = Léa Mysius | screenplay = {{plainlist| * Léa Mysius * Paul Guilhaume }} | producer = {{plainlist| * Jean-Louis Livi * Fanny Yvonnet }} | starring = {{plainlist| * Adèle Exarchopoulos * Sally Dramé * Swala Emati * Moustapha Mbengue * Daphné Patakia }} | cinematography = Paul Guilhaume | editing = Marie Loustalot | music = Florencia Di Concilio | studio = {{plainlist| * F comme Film * Trois Brigands Productions }} | distributor = Le Pacte | released = {{Film date|df=yes|2022|5|23|Cannes|2022|8|31|France}} | runtime = 95 minutes | country = France | language = French | budget = €3.4 million<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=22174|title=Les Cinq Diables|website=JP Box-Office|language=fr|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref> | gross = $497,028<ref name="BOM">{{cite Box Office Mojo|id=13391708|title=The Five Devils (2022)|access-date=17 August 2023|publisher_hide=y}}</ref> }} '''''The Five Devils''''' ({{langx|fr|Les Cinq Diables}}) is a 2022 French fantasy drama film directed by Léa Mysius, who co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Guilhaume. The film stars Adèle Exarchopoulos and Sally Dramé. It premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022. It was released in France on 31 August 2022.
==Premise== Vicky has a magical gift: she can smell and reproduce any scent of her choosing. She collects these in carefully labelled jars. The solitary child has a very strong bond with her mother Joanne, whose scent she also captures. When her father's sister Julia, who has recently been released from prison, enters their lives, Vicky also begins to reproduce her scent. Vicky is transported back in time into dark and magical memories, leading her to discover the past love affair between her mother and Julia, the secrets of her village, and her own existence.
==Cast== * Adèle Exarchopoulos as Joanne Soler * Sally Dramé as Vicky Soler * Swala Emati as Julia Soler * Moustapha Mbengue as Jimmy Soler * Daphné Patakia as Nadine * Patrick Bouchitey as Jean-Yvon * Noée Abita as waitress * Merwan Rim as karaoke DJ
==Production== ''The Five Devils'' is Léa Mysius's second feature film as director, following ''Ava'' in 2017. Mysius co-wrote the film's screenplay with its cinematographer Paul Guilhaume.
The film was produced by Fanny Yvonnet for Trois Brigands Productions and by Jean-Louis Livi for F comme Film, both of whom previously produced ''Ava''. ''The Five Devils'' benefited from production support from Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma (and support from the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region itself), pre-sales from Canal+ and Ciné+, and support from the Île-de-France region.<ref name="FL2021">{{Cite web|last=Lemercier|first=Fabien|date=6 March 2020|title=The first clapperboard is set to slam on Léa Mysius's ''The Five Devils''|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/386624/|access-date=8 November 2023|website=Cineuropa}}</ref>
Filming was set to begin in March 2020,<ref name="FL2021"/><ref>{{Cite web|date=27 February 2020|title=À vos CV : la directrice de casting du film "Les Cinq diables" avec Adèle Exarchopoulos cherche des figurants locaux|url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/vos-cv-directrice-casting-du-film-cinq-diables-adele-exarchopoulos-cherche-figurants-locaux-1792623.html|access-date=11 May 2022|publisher=France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes|language=fr}}</ref> but was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming resumed in March 2021 and lasted seven weeks.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=4 March 2021|title="Les Cinq diables" de Léa Mysius en tournage|url=https://www.lefilmfrancais.com/cinema/150784/les-cinq-diables-de-lea-mysius-en-tournage|magazine=Le Film français|language=fr|access-date=11 May 2022|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Jimenez|first=Esteban|date=9 March 2020|title=Bientôt en tournage : 'Les Cinq Diables', le prochain film de Léa Mysius avec Adèle Exarchopoulos et Noée Abita|url=https://www.troiscouleurs.fr/article/bientot-en-tournage-les-cinq-diables-le-prochain-film-de-lea-mysius-avec-adele-exarchopoulos-et-noee-abita|magazine=Trois couleurs|language=fr|access-date=11 May 2022}}</ref> Filming took place in Isère between 1–24 March 2021, in the commune Le Bourg-d'Oisans and at Lac Bleu.<ref name="auvergnerhonealpes">{{Cite web|date=6 April 2022|title=Films en post-production|url=https://www.auvergnerhonealpes-cinema.fr/fr/actualite-495-films-en-post-production.html|access-date=14 May 2022|publisher=Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220514225957/https://www.auvergnerhonealpes-cinema.fr/fr/actualite-495-films-en-post-production.html|archive-date=14 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=25 February 2021|title=Le Bourg-d'Oisans. La commune accueillera les équipes de tournage du film "Les Cinq diables"|language=fr|newspaper=Le Dauphiné libéré|url=https://www.ledauphine.com/culture-loisirs/2021/02/25/la-commune-accueillera-les-equipes-de-tournage-du-film-les-cinq-diables|access-date=11 May 2022}}</ref> Shooting continued in the Île-de-France region, including the Michel-Beaufort swimming pool in Bondy on 31 March and 1 April 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 April 2021|title=Adèle Exarchopoulos en tournage à la piscine Michel Beaufort à Bondy|url=https://www.est-ensemble.fr/des-cameras-la-piscine-michel-beaufort-bondy|access-date=11 May 2022|website=Est ensemble|language=fr}}</ref> Filming wrapped in Paris on 16 April 2021.<ref name="auvergnerhonealpes"/>
==Release== ''The Five Devils'' had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2022,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/424302/|title=LIVE: The Cannes' Directors' Fortnight announces its selection|website=Cineuropa|date=19 April 2022|access-date=19 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=11 May 2022|title=Les horaires des projections 2022|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/fr/infos-communiques/communique/articles/horaires-des-projections-2022|access-date=11 May 2022|publisher=Cannes Film Festival|language=fr|format=PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511174041/https://www.festival-cannes.com/fr/infos-communiques/communique/articles/horaires-des-projections-2022|archive-date=11 May 2022}}</ref> where it received a five-minute standing ovation.<ref name="Deadline">{{Cite web |last=Complex |first=Valerie |date=24 May 2022 |title=Cannes Review: Léa Mysius' Directors' Fortnight Film 'The Five Devils' |url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/cannes-review-lea-mysius-new-film-1235031039/ |access-date=19 March 2023 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}</ref> It was released theatrically in France on 31 August 2022 by Le Pacte.<ref name="FL2021"/><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Barnett|first=Emily|date=4 September 2022|title="Les cinq diables" de Léa Mysius : le talent magique d'Adèle Exarchopoulos|url=https://www.marieclaire.fr/critique-film-les-cinq-diables-lea-mysius-adele-exarchopoulos,1432973.asp|magazine=Marie Claire|language=fr|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref> International sales are handled by Wild Bunch.<ref name="FL2021"/> In a deal negotiated by Wild Bunch, Mubi acquired ''The Five Devils'' for North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, India and Turkey.<ref name="Ritman">{{cite magazine|last=Ritman|first=Alex|date=9 May 2022|title=Cannes: Mubi Acquires Directors' Fortnight Title 'The Five Devils' (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-five-devils-mubi-cannes-adele-exarchopoulos-1235143056/|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=12 May 2022}}</ref> Mubi gave the film a limited theatrical release in the United States, United Kingdom and Ireland on 24 March 2023.<ref>{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=21 March 2023|title=The Five Devils review – superpower sense of smell in intriguingly weird psychodrama|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/21/the-five-devils-review-superpower-sense-of-smell-in-intriguingly-weird-psychodrama|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Patton|first=Elaina|date=4 March 2023|title=The most entertaining and bingeworthy queer content arriving in March|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-pop-culture/entertaining-bingeworthy-queer-content-arriving-march-rcna73285|publisher=NBC News|access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref> The film was released exclusively on Mubi's streaming platform from 12 May 2023.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bergeson|first=Samantha|date=27 February 2023|title='The Five Devils' Trailer: Adèle Exarchopoulos Casts a Spell in Witchy Queer Love Story|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2023/02/the-five-devils-trailer-adele-exarchopoulos-1234813168/|website=IndieWire|access-date=28 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="Ritman"/>
==Reception==
===Box office=== ''The Five Devils'' grossed $336,025 in France and $161,003 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $497,028.<ref name="BOM"/>
In France, the film opened alongside ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'', ''La Dégustation'', ''Both Sides of the Blade'' and ''La Page blanche''. The film sold 4,922 admissions on its first day,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.boxofficepro.fr/box-office-1er-jour-ladegustation-everything-everywhere-all-at-once/|title=Box-office 1er jour : ''La Dégustation'' et ''Everything Everywhere All at Once'' dans un mouchoir|last=Colon|first=Tanguy|date=1 September 2022|magazine=Boxoffice Pro|language=fr|access-date=2 April 2023}}</ref> 485 of which were preview screenings. It went on to sell 25,906 admissions in its opening weekend. At the end of its theatrical run, the film sold a total of 71,833 admissions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=22174&view=2|title=Les Cinq Diables|website=JP Box-Office|language=fr|access-date=5 June 2023}}</ref>
===Critical response=== On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 75 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Overflowing with ideas as it moves across genres, ''The Five Devils'' uses intoxicating magical realism to explore a family's troubled past."<ref>{{cite Rotten Tomatoes|title=The Five Devils|type=m|id=the_five_devils|access-date=24 July 2024|publisher_hide=y}}</ref> Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite Metacritic|id=the-five-devils|type=movie|title=The Five Devils|access-date=26 August 2024|publisher_hide=y}}</ref> ''The Five Devils'' received an average rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 31 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm-281719/critiques/presse/|title=Critiques Presse pour le film Les Cinq Diables|website=AlloCiné|language=fr|access-date=8 November 2023}}</ref>
Jordan Mintzer of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' assessed the film as having too many elements, criticising screenwriters Mysius and Guilhaume for infusing an "otherwise compelling and intimate tragedy with elements of witchcraft, the supernatural and time travel that feel like they belong in another film—whether it's by Shyamalan or Robert Eggers, or something from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Rather than enhancing the intrigue, the genre components wind up diluting it, and when the two sides of the movie ultimately come together, the impact feels blunted".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Mintzer|first=Jordan|date=23 May 2022|title='The Five Devils' ('Les Cinq diables'): Film Review {{!}} Cannes 2022|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-five-devils-les-cinq-diables-review-cannes-2022-1235145290/|access-date=23 May 2022|magazine=The Hollywood Reporter}}</ref>
Writing for ''Deadline Hollywood'', Valerie Complex was mostly positive on the film, but criticised the way it depicted its Black characters, writing, "There are many movies with Black protagonists at Cannes, but Black people direct none [...] Julia and Jimmy aren't given much agency. They exist as a platform for Joanne, who uses them to elevate herself [...] And the hair. Look, Black hairstylists need to be consulted and hired to give Black characters decent-looking hairstyles. Unkempt hair and bad wigs plague Black actresses on sets, and ''The Five Devils'' falls into this trap. Films have to start investing in the complete aesthetic of Blackness, and that means getting people who can bring the most authenticity to a character".<ref name="Deadline"/>
Jake Cole of ''Slant Magazine'' praised the film, stating it "feels like the work of a much more seasoned filmmaker" and that Mysius' filmmaking "exudes an exquisite command of atmosphere and aesthetic language".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Jake |date=2 March 2023 |title='The Five Devils' Review: Let's Do the Existential Time Warp Again |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-five-devils-review-adele-exarchopoulos/ |access-date=19 March 2023 |website=Slant Magazine}}</ref>
===Accolades=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Date of ceremony ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Recipient(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Ref heading}} |- ! scope="row" | Cannes Film Festival | 27 May 2022 | Queer Palm | Léa Mysius | {{Nom}} | align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|date=10 May 2022|title=Cannes 2022 : les films en lice pour la Queer Palm|url=https://www.cnc.fr/cinema/actualites/cannes-2022--les-films-en-lice-pour-la-queer-palm_1683925|publisher=CNC|language=fr|access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | César Awards | 24 February 2023 | Best Visual Effects | Guillaume Marien | {{Nom}} | align="center" | <ref>{{cite news|last=Jamet|first=Constance|date=25 January 2023|title=César: ''La Nuit du 12'', ''En Corps'', ''L'Innocent'', en tête des nominations|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/cinema/ceremonie-cesar/cesar-la-nuit-du-12-en-corps-l-innocent-en-tete-des-nominations-20230125|newspaper=Le Figaro|language=fr|access-date=27 January 2023}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | Dublin International Film Festival | 4 March 2023 | Best Director | Léa Mysius | {{Won}} | align="center" | <ref>{{cite news|last=Clarke|first=Donald|date=6 March 2023|title=Dublin International Film Festival: The moving My Sailor, My Love named best Irish movie|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/2023/03/06/dublin-international-film-festival-acclaim-for-my-sailor-my-love-movingly-tackles-stubborn-themes-in-irish-life/|newspaper=The Irish Times|access-date=17 March 2023}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | Fantastic Fest | 27 September 2022 | Best Picture (Next Wave Competition) | ''The Five Devils'' | {{Won}} | align="center" | <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thewrap.com/fantastic-fest-2022-awards-winners-list/|website=TheWrap|date=27 September 2022|title=Fantastic Fest Awards Winners: 'Piggy,' 'The Five Devils' and 'The Menu' Take Top Honors (Exclusive)|first=Drew|last=Taylor}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | Prix Alice Guy | 13 April 2023 | {{n/a}} | Léa Mysius | {{nom}} | align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Haddad |first=Yohan |date=2023-02-22 |title=Alice Winocour remporte le Prix Alice Guy 2023 pour Revoir Paris |url=http://www.premiere.fr/Cinema/News-Cinema/Alice-Winocour-remporte-le-Prix-Alice-Guy-2023-pour-Revoir-Paris |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Premiere.fr |language=FR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Le Bris |first=Véronique |date=2023-04-17 |title=Alice Winocour reçoit le Prix Alice Guy 2023 |url=https://www.prixaliceguy.com/alice-winocour/ |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=www.prixaliceguy.com |language=fr-FR}}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website}} * {{IMDb title}} * {{Unifrance title}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Five Devils, The}} Category:2022 films Category:2022 drama films Category:2022 fantasy films Category:2022 French films Category:2022 LGBTQ-related films Category:2020s fantasy drama films Category:2022 French-language films Category:Films about female bisexuality Category:Films about mother–daughter relationships Category:Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Category:Films shot in Île-de-France Category:Films shot in Isère Category:Films shot in Paris Category:French fantasy drama films Category:French LGBTQ-related films Category:Le Pacte films Category:Lesbian-related films Category:2020s LGBTQ-related drama films Category:LGBTQ-related fantasy drama films Category:Films directed by Léa Mysius Category:Films with screenplays by Léa Mysius