Italian director Alice Rohrwacher collaborated with French artist JR to create a visually captivating 21-minute short film filled with artistic and visual illusions. The story follows a young Parisian mother (played by Lyna Khoudri) who, delayed by her son’s fascination with a kaleidoscope, arrives late to her ballet rehearsal. In a magical twist, her son uncovers a surreal world adorned with graffiti, transforming the stage into a portal to a fantastical realm. Both the boy and the ballet troupe are drawn into this imaginary world, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.The film skillfully combines large-scale printed illustrations and CGI to explore the intersection of perception and imagination. It seamlessly merges cinema with street art, drawing inspiration from Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”. Through this fusion, the film probes deeper questions about art’s ability to reveal profound truths through the lens of illusion. It concludes with a resonant statement: “Perhaps it’s not enough to say that images are illusions because the constraints are real.” Rohrwacher integrates her artistic vision with JR’s dynamic style—crafting a narrative that, while simple, is rich with complex layers. The film pushes the boundaries of cinema, blending multiple art forms to explore philosophical themes while delivering a visually rich and playful experience.Reflecting on the project, Rohrwacher, now recognized as one of Europe’s foremost directors, shared her inspiration: “Last winter, I met JR in Paris, and we began discussing Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” from The Republic. We both work in the realm of images, which carry an inherent element of illusion, yet also serve as tools for liberation and intellectual discovery. From this discussion, the idea for the film emerged, centered on a single question: What if we could all turn together and face the exit of the cave?”Hauvick Habechian