Movie Review: Poupée de nuit (Night Doll) - 2025

Release Date: March 1, 2025 (Germany)
Written by: Cosmotropia de Xam & Violette de Lestrange
Directed by: Cosmotropia de Xam
Starring: Violette de Lestrange & Gaspard le Ténébraire
Distributed by: Mater Suspiria Vision and Phantasma Disques

In the world of cinema, some connections take years to cultivate. That's exactly how I came to find the movie Poupée de Nuit. It all started back in 2018 when I stumbled upon Samuel Müller's posts showcasing old-school formats, new releases on Betamax and other retro mediums. His passion for unconventional film formats immediately grabbed my attention, I reached out to him. What followed was the beginning of a dialogue that would span years and result in some truly unique cinematic experiences.

The first of these was Flesh In The Machine (2018), a limited Betamax release under his company's banner. Here in Sweden, I run a movie club, and we decided to give it a watch. It was surreal, disorienting, and deeply artistic. The experience sparked a meaningful conversation among my fellow movie buffs.

Picture taking from a old unboxing video I did - check it out here if you like YouTube

Our exchanges continued over the years and in 2021, Samuel introduced me to The Inferno Index (2021), which was released on limited-edition VHS through Mater Suspiria Vision and Phantasma Disques. The retro VHS packaging instantly brought me back to the golden age of physical media, and once again, the film, directed by Cosmotropia de Xam, didn't disappoint. It continued the legacy of pushing boundaries and experimenting with both format and storytelling.

Present time, just a few weeks ago, Samuel shared an exciting new project: Poupée de Nuit (Night Doll). The striking poster immediately drew me in. Graciously, he offered me access to a digital version of the film for review and here we are, ready to delve into this dream!

From the moment the French voiceover begins, the film establishes a sense of elegance and mystery. The female voice recites, "I am Unica, poetess of shattered dreams and fragments of reflections," and we are drawn into a world that's both fragile and intense. Whether Unica is the character's name or a poetic persona remains unclear, but it doesn't matter, the words are more about atmosphere than clarity. There's a sense of someone unraveling, trying to make sense of their fractured world.

Visually, the film presents itself in stunning black and white. The haunting imagery of old buildings, churches, and graveyards adds to the dreamlike quality, while evoking a timeless atmosphere. It's a setting that feels both familiar and eerie, where the past and present collide in a haze of surrealism. At times, the visuals evoke a felling of a fever dream, an unsettling place where reality and fantasy blur.

It's hard not to draw comparisons to the works of Jean Rollin, especially with the inclusion of a beautiful, ethereal vampire and dark, gothic imagery. But Poupée de Nuit has its own unique flavor. The film blends surrealism, nudity, and a certain artistic perversity to craft an experience that is both visually striking and emotionally disorienting. The dreamlike sequences are punctuated with scenes of quiet melancholy, leaving you with an impression that lingers long after the film ends.

Much like other art films, Poupée de Nuit can be difficult to grasp. The narrative isn't linear, and the structure is unconventional, yet there's a certain thread that runs through the chaos. While the other films I've seen from this Director have felt more chaotic and random in their imagery, this one feels more structured. Though still shrouded in ambiguity. It's as though the film is telling a story, but not in a traditional sense. It's more about evoking a feeling, a mood, than offering clear answers.

Watching the film in one go can be heavy. The best way to experience Poupée de Nuit is to simply relax, let go, and allow the film to wash over you. Let the images, sounds, and emotions unfold without trying to control the experience. The film doesn't demand that you understand it all, it asks that you feel it.

There are moments of pure cinematic beauty, like the scene where the lead character is wrapped in film, possibly 16mm. It's a powerful moment, a symbol of the film's dedication to the medium itself. The use of film roll, both as a narrative device and an aesthetic choice, is a striking piece of art in and of itself.

Overall, Poupée de Nuit is a film that embraces its art-house roots fully. It is, without a doubt, an art film that should be viewed through that lens. It may not be for everyone, and that's perfectly fine. The film's strength lies in its ability to provoke thought and emotion through its unconventional storytelling and visual style.

I give it a strong 6/10 while it's not a film to watch casually, it certainly succeeds in its purpose of evoking powerful imagery and emotional responses. It's an exploration of beauty, dread, and despair, wrapped in a dreamlike atmosphere that only art films can achieve.

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