Julien Lacheray

Julien Lacheray’s got a knack for capturing the messy, electric pulse of real life, and it's obvious when you dig into his filmography. Take “Bande de filles” (2014)—that one’s a raw, punchy look at a group of teenage girls in the Parisian suburbs, but forget the clichés. Lacheray’s editing style pulls you right into their world, all the noise, joy, heartbreak, and swagger. It’s like he cracked open a window and let all the chaos and hope of youth pour in. Then there’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (2019), which, let’s be honest, is ridiculously gorgeous from start to finish. Lacheray’s work behind the scenes is just as vital as what’s on screen—his cuts are subtle, never flashy, but they’re always working, always pushing the emotion higher. The tension between characters, the silent longing, it just simmers, and you know that’s thanks to how he stitches scenes together. There’s a rhythm to it, almost like music, but he knows when to let a moment breathe. Back in 2010, with “La fonte des glaces,” you start to see the seeds of his style—those little moments where time stretches, and you’re forced to sit with a character’s awkwardness or pain. Lacheray seems obsessed with the in-between spaces, the unsaid stuff. He’s not just chopping up footage; he’s shaping how you feel, keeping things honest, sometimes a little uncomfortable, but never dull. His fingerprints are all over these films—bold, confident, and totally unafraid to linger where others cut away too soon.