Nicolas lives in an isolated and decrepit French coastal town. The only inhabitants are boys and older women. The food is about as palatable as a botulism sandwich and all the boys have to take 'medicine' as they are all sick.Then one day Nicolas goes swimming and discovers the body of a dead boy. He then starts to question what is going on and sets out to discover the truth.Now this is a short film lasting only 79 minutes and the dialogue is sparse, however all the screen time is put to excellent use. The SFX are all top notch and the boys are superb in what are very physical roles. It is a slow burn but that is offset by a very stylised and stylish picture palette that uses vivid colours to great effect and the cinematography and framing of the shots gives it an art-house feel that just oozes quality. It is not a film to 'enjoy' as the subject matter is so dark but it is one you can admire – hence my rating.

Where do I apply to get that 80 minutes of my life back? I don't mind the occasional artsy/high-in-symbolism film but it must at least have a plot line or a message. This has nothing except symbolism which makes it fall apart. The only redeeming thing in this whole mess is the potential talent of the main character of Nicholas.

If you like HP Lovecraft, THX 1138, or David Lynch movies you may well enjoy this one too. The plot seems a bit too far out, and there appear to be so many plot holes that the establishing sequences may prove frustrating. It's worth waiting though- contrary to several of the reviews on this IMDb page, there is actually a plot resolution that helps explain what you just watched. I don't think it's any more abstruse than the ending of THX 1138. The best news is the staggeringly beautiful cinematography, locations, set design, and makeup. These combine perfectly to help create a disturbing psychosphere that somehow manages to be both stark and voluptuous at the same time. Despite the deeply oppressive Lovecraftian atmosphere throughout, the film climaxes with great spiritual beauty- and sadness.

The ambition that this film has is really something to behold and to admire. It's definitely not a fast paced film at all, and I could easily see many people really not taking to this. However, once the mood settles in and you are able to stay with it it's a very pensive, very meticulously-made film. The performances are quite strong and the actors have a really great hold on what their roles require. The film definitely has many surprises in store and they never feel like cheats or contrivances. I do think the film falls short of greatness, but it's still a very good horror film that continues the great trend of 2016 horror.