Nino

Québécois actor Théodore Pellerin gives a quiestly devastating performance in this impressive French debut feature from Pauline Locquès. The film, which has been nominated for four César (French Oscar) awards, charts three rocky days in the life of a young man who, in the first scene, learns that he has throat cancer and will be fast-tracked into chemo on Monday morning. What follows is a long weekend of high emotion, even if Nino prefers to keep it all bottled up inside. He’s also marking his 29th birthday in the company of his mom (Jeanne Balibar) and various friends, none of whom knows his news. In this film, everything rides on Pellerin, and fortunately he’s riveting, it’s a performance of exquisite sensitivity.

Softly devastating while being defiantly celebratory, Nino feels like a minor miracle in the way it conjures up a well of emotions.

Zachary Lee, rogerebert.com

A poignant ode to life.

Télérama

The first thing to know is that Nino is a truly amazing film. Go see it. Even if going to French films isn’t normally your thing. The second thing to know is that it features a star-making performance from Quebec actor Théodore Pellerin.

Brendan Kelly, Montreal Gazette