The Dreamer

“The Dreamer” (formerly “Du grand feu ne restent que les braises” ) is released in French theaters in January 2024. Anaïs Tellenne’s first feature is a gift from heaven, simple and strong, humble and complex.

The characters brought to life before our eyes—Raphaël (Raphaël Thiéry) and Garance (Emmanuelle Devos)—are never quite what we expect, as if the clay Anaïs Tellenne uses to shape them stays forever fresh. As spectators, we too long to be touched by that same clay, to step into a world of raw, unfiltered humanity.

In 2023, “The Dreamer” was one of the discoveries of the Venice Film Festival, it was also awarded with the Audience Prize at Busan Festival in South Korea. And Anaïs and her screenplay were accompanied at Le Groupe Ouest in 2019 as part of the Annual Selection.

Synopsis

Raphaël, a one-eyed man, is caretaker of a barely used manor. Nearly 60, he lives with his mother in the gardian’s house located at the entrance to the grounds. Between mole hunting, bagpipe practice and the occasional ride in the postwoman’s Kangoo van, the days blend one into another. One stormy night Garance, the estate’s heiress, returns to the family home and from then on nothing will ever be the same again.