Dog 51

SCI-FI & ACTION IN A PARIS DIVIDED INTO ZONES

Paris, 2045. The city is no longer an open metropolis but a system of three zones: the elite's inner core in Zone 1, the secure middle class in Zone 2 and the socially deprived underclass in Zone 3, in the run-down suburbs. There are checkpoints between the zones, everyone must wear monitoring wristbands, and an all-knowing artificial intelligence called Alma controls and directs police crime-fighting operations. When Alma's creator is murdered, two police officers whose paths would not normally have crossed are forced to work together: Salia Malberg, a sharp investigator from Zone 2, and Zem Brecht, a disillusioned street cop from Zone 3.

French director Cédric Jimenez is known for tense contemporary thrillers such as BAC Nord and November (which was screened at Monsters of Film 2023). Here he ventures into science fiction – or, as he calls it, an “exaggerated present” – and moves at the speed of a motorcycle between the zones of crime, conspiracy and class divisions. Gilles Lellouche and Adèle Exarchopoulos play the compelling police duo who carry the film, with many other major French names in the cast, including Louis Garrel, Romain Duris and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Dog 51 had its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival.

DOG 51 is an unusual, rain-soaked, dark and fast-paced sci-fi action film that feels more contemporary than futuristic.

Genre: Thriller, Sci-Fi, Action

Director: Cédric Jimenez

Country: France, Belgium

Year: 2025

Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Louis Garrel, Romain Duris

Running time: 106 min

Language: French dialogue, English subtitles