THE END by Guillaume Nicloux

A retired sixty-something is living deep in the woods with as only companion his dog Yoshi. Every day he goes on a hunting trip with his loyal mutt. But this day will not be like any other. First Yoshi disappears and then the forest, of which he knows every trunk and leave, seems to become ever stranger and more dangerous. It’s more a treacherous jungle than a peaceful European forest. While scorpions are replacing ants, our man’s hold over his gun strengthens as the sun goes down and a pitch black night swallows everything.

After having made his mark with crime movies such as The Octopus, A Private Affair and The Key, French director Guillaume Nicloux ventures into 7th Orbit territory, that section of the Bifff where movies go strange and unexpected places. Valley of Love, which was nominated last year for the Cannes Golden Palm, was already a mysterious viewing experience. And his lead from that film, French acting monument Gérard Depardieu, is again the center of this unique, hypnotizing and fascinating surreal odyssey where the trees are not what they seem.