‘Shana’ Review – A Powerful Debut That Prioritises Emotional Intimacy And Strong Characters [Cannes 2026]

Every year, the Cannes Film Festival selects multiple first-time directors to showcase their features to the world. This year they selected, amongst others, Elephants In The Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah, Jordan Firstman’s Club Kid, and Shana by director Lila Pinell.

Directing your first feature can be daunting, but Pinell pulls it off with incredible confidence. Just like the larger-than-life main character in Shana, her film is full of power and emotion. While the themes occasionally tread familiar ground, such as domestic abuse, cultural clashes, and an emotionally torn young woman, Shana still feels emotionally compelling throughout. Thanks to its beautifully balanced social realism and Eva Huault’s standout central performance, the film is one of those wonderful debuts that prioritise emotional intimacy and powerful characters.

Speaking of powerful characters, Huault takes centre stage for the first time as Shana. Her solid performance has incredible emotional weight, humour, and vulnerability. The layered portrayal doesn’t reduce Shana to just a victim or a one-dimensional character. Therefore, the audience gets the chance to fully understand how trauma, attachment issues, and survival instinct shape her life. Huault’s balanced acting becomes even more vulnerable, especially in scenes where Shana shows both her fragile and explosive sides. Sometimes she’s extremely loud; other times, she’s much quieter and repressed.

As Shana definitely isn’t afraid to speak her mind when being around her friends and family, her magnetic presence becomes much more gloomier when she’s around her boyfriend. Not because she’s shy, but sadly, because Moïse (Sékouba Doucouré) is both a drug dealer and a domestic abuser, who exerts control even while incarcerated. She doesn’t only have a toxic relationship with him, but also with her estranged mother, played with incredible sharpness by Noémie Lvovsky. Her relationship to her Arabic and Jewish heritage is also complicated and often contradictory, reflected in both her defiance of tradition and her family.

The film focuses on a brief yet intense chapter in Shana’s turbulent life as Pinell takes you from the preparation for Shana’s younger sister’s Bat Mitzvah to her having to deal with Moïse’s criminal actions. Yet, you still feel the sheer weight of everything she’s going through in that little amount of time.

This gripping story about a young woman facing hardship might not be the most original, especially because it explores themes such as fractured relationships, generational trauma, urban tension, and survival. As Shana frequently has to go through violent confrontations, forced quietness and sadly harsh consequences, the narrative begins to feel familiar over time.

However, the density of the balanced emotions, the vibrant energy and Huault’s powerhouse performance make this movie stand out from similar ones. The balance between vulnerability and aggression becomes the film’s beating heart, while the rich mix of Parisian, Jewish, and Arabic vibes adds much-needed texture. There is also a strong sense of community in this feature as the family gatherings and friend meetups are vital to Shana’s life. She’s surrounded by many people, but her overwhelming presence inevitably pushes the supporting characters into the background.

Victor Zébo’s balanced visuals perfectly encapsulate that immense presence and confidently layered script. The energy of Shana’s restless psychological state, combined with the 16mm grainy cinematography and handheld cameras, gives the film a sense of immediacy and closeness. For most of the movie, Zébo uses close-ups, making it feel as if the camera is constantly chasing Shana throughout her tumultuous life rather than simply observing her. The visual approach works extremely well during the heated confrontations between Shana and her mother.

Despite the cliched shortcoming and occasional familiarity, the intensity of the central performance, the strong visual touch and the carefully balanced emotions show that both Pinell and Huault are emerging talents worth following.

Shana held its World Premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. 

Director: Lila Pinell

Screenwriter: Lila Pinell

Rated: NR

Runtime: 83m

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