“Un grand raccourci” wants to be two things at once: a tense crime thriller and a meditation on grief and memory. It mostly succeeds at the former and stumbles at the latter. The film, directed by François Ozon and starring Gaspard Ulliel, premiered at Cannes in 2026 and is now making its way to theaters worldwide. It is based on the novel A Long Way Down by Alexander McCall Smith.
The setup is simple. Thomas (Ulliel) is a man whose wife has died, leaving him shattered and unmoored. He takes a job driving a taxi to support himself and his young daughter, who he barely knows. One night, a passenger named Michel (Swann Ar Orner) gets into his cab. Michel is a criminal on the run, and the two men are forced to share a ride across France as the police close in behind them. What follows is a road trip through memory, guilt, and the strange bonds formed under pressure.
Gaspard Ulliel Carries the Weight
Ulliel is the engine of “Un grand raccourci.” He plays Thomas with a quiet, almost fragile intensity. His face registers the loss of his wife and the fear of his new life in the same glance. When the film shifts into flashback sequences, showing Thomas and his wife’s life together, Ulliel’s performance deepens. He moves from a man grieving to a man trying to remember why he loved her in the first place.
Ar Orner plays Michel as a man who has made bad choices and knows it. He is not a sympathetic character, but the film gives him a backstory that explains his actions. That backstory is told in fragments, woven into the present-day journey, and Ar Orner carries it with a weary, resigned charm. The two leads share a chemistry that makes their unlikely partnership feel earned rather than contrived.
The Cab as a Stage
The film’s central set piece is the cab itself. It is a small, enclosed space where two strangers become trapped together. The dialogue is sparse at times, and the tension comes from what is left unsaid. Ozon uses the confined space to create a sense of claustrophobia that mirrors the characters’ emotional states. The camera often stays close to the actors, capturing their reactions to each other and to the landscape passing outside.
The road itself becomes a character of sorts. The film moves through French countryside, cities, and highways, each location adding a new layer of meaning to the story. A rural stretch feels like escape; a busy city street feels like danger closing in. The cinematography, credited to Yorick Le Saux, is sharp and purposeful, even in scenes that could easily lapse into melodrama.
Flashbacks and the Memory Problem
The film’s structure is built around flashbacks. These scenes show Thomas and his wife’s relationship before tragedy struck, and they are meant to humanize Thomas and explain his current state. They also serve as a way for the film to explore themes of love, regret, and the way memory shapes identity. The problem is that these flashbacks are not always integrated smoothly. Sometimes they feel like a separate movie inserted into the main one.
Ozon’s direction is confident, but the transitions between past and present can be jarring. The film asks the audience to hold two timelines in mind simultaneously, and not every scene earns that demand. The result is a film that is often compelling but occasionally loses focus.
Swann Ar Orner’s Michel
Michel is a criminal, and the film does not try to excuse that. He is a man who has hurt others, and his presence in the cab puts Thomas in real danger. Ar Orner plays him with a calm that belies his dangerous nature. There is a stillness to his performance that makes him feel dangerous without ever needing to raise his voice.
Their scenes together are the best parts of the film. The banter between the two men is natural and funny, even as the stakes rise. There is a genuine bond forming between them, born of shared peril and mutual respect. It is a rare kind of partnership in a crime thriller, one that feels less like a hostage situation and more like two people who have stumbled into each other’s lives.
The Ending and Its Ambiguity
The film builds to a climax that is both satisfying and frustrating. The resolution of the chase involves a twist that some viewers will find clever, while others will find convenient. It is a twist that answers the question of who survives and who doesn’t, but it leaves open the larger questions about Thomas and his daughter’s future.
The ending lands somewhere between hopeful and melancholic. Thomas is left with a new sense of purpose, but the film does not pretend that healing is immediate. The final images are of Thomas driving the cab alone, with his daughter waiting at home. It is a note that feels earned, even if the path to get there was uneven.
The Film’s Reception
“Un grand raccourci” premiered at Cannes in 2026, where it received positive reviews from critics. The film’s reception has been largely favorable, with praise centered on Ulliel’s performance and the film’s technical craft. Reviews noted the strong performances, the tight direction, and the film’s ability to balance drama with lighter moments.
The film has also been compared to other recent French thrillers, though the comparisons have not been entirely flattering. Some critics have noted that the film borrows heavily from familiar tropes without bringing anything truly new to the table. Others have praised the film’s willingness to slow down and let its characters breathe.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Un grand raccourci
- Director: François Ozon
- Lead actor: Gaspard Ulliel
- Co-star: Swann Ar Orner
- Premiere: Cannes 2026
- Status: In theaters now
“Un grand raccourci” is a solid, well-made thriller that falls short of greatness. It is a film that understands its own strengths and leans into them, even as it struggles with its structure. The performances are excellent, the direction is assured, and the road trip framework gives the film a natural rhythm. Where it falters is in its handling of memory and grief, where the flashbacks feel like a separate movie rather than a deepening of the present-day story.
The film is worth seeing for Ulliel’s performance alone. His portrayal of Thomas is nuanced and affecting, carrying the weight of loss and the slow process of moving forward. Ar Orner provides a worthy counterpart, and the two actors make their shared scenes sing.
The film’s flaws are real, but they are not fatal. It is a well-crafted, emotionally resonant thriller that benefits from strong performances and a clear vision. It is a film that rewards attention but does not demand it.
