Directed by Julien Hosmalin and co-written with Olivier Torres, Sans pitié is a dramatic thriller starring Adam Bessa, Tewfik Jallab, and Jonathan Turnbull. Presented at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival, the film delves into the daily life of a small carnival, a setting rarely filmed in contemporary French cinema. It will be released in theaters in France on January 14, 2026.
The plot follows Maria, a single mother who runs a shooting gallery with her two sons, Ryan and Dario. Their equilibrium is upset after a motorcycle trip that ends with Dario's disappearance. He is found injured and unable to explain what he has been through. Twenty years later, the two brothers are reunited after their mother's death. Ryan has remained in the carnival world, while Dario returns from Canada, carrying a fragile reconstruction. The confrontation with a former kidnapper reopens buried wounds, placing the two men in a moral dilemma.
Julien Hosmalin develops a narrative in which the fairground setting becomes a dramatic space in its own right. Filmed on location at traveling carnivals, the film relies on immersive sound design to capture the physical atmosphere of the rides, stalls, and passageways. In Angoulême, the film attracted attention for its approach to traumatic memory and sibling relationships through tight, physical staging.
With a focus somewhere between family drama and psychological thriller, the film favors emotional tension, silences, and glances over spectacular displays. This approach brings Sans pitié closer to intimate revenge stories, such as works centered on family fractures or reconstructed trajectories, like Les Cowboys. The target audience includes fans of realistic thrillers, viewers who are sensitive to specific social worlds, and film lovers who are attached to stories rooted in communities that are rarely represented.
Sans pitié
Film | 2026
In theaters January 14, 2026
Dramatic thriller | Running time: 1 hour 35 minutes
By Julien Hosmalin | Starring Adam Bessa, Tewfik Jallab, Jonathan Turnbull
Nationality: France
Part of a tradition of French dramatic thrillers focused on characters and their social environment, Sans pitié offers a story rooted in time, where the confrontation between past and present becomes the central theme. The world of carnivals, rarely explored with such precision, brings a remarkable uniqueness to this story of resilience and fractured loyalty.
To extend your theater experience, check out the movies currently showing, January's new releases, and our selection of thrillers to see in theaters.
