Weekend films

'Elio', Pixar meets aliens in a pacifist film

In cinemas, the new feature film from the production company of 'Wall-E' and 'Inside Out'. Also among the new releases is "Three Friends"

20 June 2025

3' min read

Pixar is back in space: three years after 'Lightyear', the production company of 'Toy Story' and 'Inside Out' is again focusing on a science-fiction film, a genre that it had already proposed with great success in 'Wall-E' but also in the highly entertaining short film 'Stu'.

"Elio", one of the most eagerly awaited new releases of the weekend in cinemas, has as its protagonist a young boy who has lost his parents and lives with his aunt. The aunt is in charge of a top-secret military project and finds herself decoding a strange signal from space: she cannot imagine that her nephew is behind the message, and that he is willing to do anything to be abducted by aliens and begin a new existence with them.

Directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi (the latter was the director of 'Red'), 'Elio' is a film that combines numerous themes that are not easy to deal with: from the loss of parents to bullying, from loneliness to the discomfort of always feeling inadequate in relation to the situations that arise around us.

With a touch too much political correctness, but also with a lot of effort to give depth to the reflections proposed, the film thus puts a lot of meat on the fire, managing to dose the available ingredients quite well within a narrative that recalls the classic logic of the coming-of-age story.

These cues are combined with pacifist messages and reasoning about believing in oneself, especially when little Elio manages to realise his desire to meet extraterrestrial life forms.

“Elio” e gli altri film della settimana
Photogallery4 foto

Unoriginal plot but emotions are not lacking

The starting subject is certainly not very innovative, just as the dramaturgical dynamics that are created as the conclusion approaches are rather predictable, but Pixar (which, it should be remembered, has been part of the Walt Disney Company since 2006) nevertheless comes out on top thanks to the beautiful construction of the characters on stage.

In keeping with the tradition of many of the American company's films (from 'Toy Story 3' to 'Coco', via 'Up' and the aforementioned 'Inside Out'), there is no lack of touching moments, centred above all on the relationship between Elio and his aunt, but also on the friendship that develops between the protagonist and his extraterrestrial 'peer', who like him is in search of affection and understanding from adults.

Finally, it should be mentioned that Pixar will double next year with two films to be released during 2026: 'Hoppers' and 'Toy Story 5'.

Three Friends

Also among the new releases in theatres is 'Three Friends' by Emmanuel Mouret, the director of the successful 'A Passionate Affair' two years ago.

At the centre of the film are of course the three friends referred to in the title: Joan is no longer in love with Victor, but it pains her to think she is being dishonest with him. Alice, however, reassures her: she herself feels no passion for her partner Eric, yet their affair is going well. Little does she know that he is having an affair with their mutual friend Rebecca. When Joan finally decides to leave Victor and he disappears, the lives of the three women and their relationships are turned upside down.

A story of love, betrayal, traumatic loss and moments of great levity, 'Three Friends' is a film that mixes drama and comedy, with several cues that seem to look to the cinema of Woody Allen.

It only takes a few lines to understand how this is a feature film that plays with its dramaturgical structure, through a narrative voice that accompanies the action and that we soon discover belongs to a person who has come to a bad end.

There is nothing particularly original about this film, which, however, manages to impress with its dialogue writing first and foremost and the way it deals with profound issues with remarkable intelligence.

A few less successful moments than others do not limit the good overall level of a film that is also capable of emotion. In the cast, among others, are Camille Cottin, Vincent Macaigne, Sara Forestier and Damien Bonnard.