The Vertigo, the new film from Quentin Dupieux, hits cinemas on June 10, 2026. Premiered world-wide at the Quinzaine des Cinéastes 2026, where it closes the program, this 67-minute feature sits comfortably in the animation category, but in a decidedly unconventional form: a deliberately rough 3D aesthetic that nods to the visuals of retro video games.
The Vertigo
Film | 2026
Cinema release: June 10, 2026
Animation, comedy | Running time: 1h07
Directed by Quentin Dupieux | Screenplay: Quentin Dupieux
Starring Alain Chabat, Jonathan Cohen, Anaïs Demoustier, Jean-Marie Winling
Original title: Vertiginous
Country: France
The film follows Jacques as he goes to his friend Bruno’s place to share some startling news: humanity may be living inside a simulation. From this simple premise, Le Vertige crafts an existential comedy in which the question of what’s real plays out through familiar-looking faces, while they’re set inside a deliberately austere and artificial digital universe.
Quentin Dupieux isn’t trying to mimic family‑friendly animation or the polish of big studios here. The filmmaker leans into a video‑game vibe, nodding to GTA: Vice City and embracing a handmade, artisanal feel. This “rough around the edges” aesthetic—full of glitches, jerky movements, and fragile digital bodies—fits the subject perfectly: characters who wonder whether the world around them is nothing more than a program.
The approach gives Le Vertige a distinctive place in Quentin Dupieux’s body of work. After several live-action features built on absurd setups and offbeat dialogue, the filmmaker here shifts his humor into a digital realm that embraces its own visual limits. Animation, therefore, isn’t mere decor but a core part of the film’s conceit.
The voice cast brings together Alain Chabat as Jacky, Jonathan Cohen as Bruno Moulin, Anaïs Demoustier in the roles of Fabienne and Claude, and Jean-Marie Winling as Christophe Bourgeois. The 67-minute runtime fits this tighter proposition, conceived more as a comedy experiment than a traditional animated narrative.
Trailer for The Vertigo:
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