Charismatic Dje is sitting in a train heading to Paris. He’s strapped for cash, but his most valuable asset is his charm, which he uses to take advantage of every opportunity that crosses his path. Even if it means going to the furthest extreme…

This social thriller is loosely inspired by the story of notorious French rapist and serial killer Guy Georges, sentenced to life in prison in 2001. But director Peter Dourountzis hasn’t created a traditional crime drama about a suspect on the run, or if so, only as a side attraction. The vagrant Dje is a complex character who instantly commands the viewer’s attention, masterfully (thanks to Pierre Deladonchamps’s brilliant performance) balancing on a razor’s edge between eliciting empathy, attraction, suspicion and condemnation. Another strong point of the ambitious work is its authentically rendered setting on the margins of Parisian society, filled with characters and atmosphere that lend the film a social dimension, opening up its powerful narrative to varied interpretations