The project’s debut trailer has arrived ahead of its world premiere at Fantastic Fest. Transgressive Production handles distribution for the French-language period drama, directed by Quarxx, featuring Thierry Frémont, Zélie Rixhon, Isabelle Anciaux, and Jean-Baptiste Maunier.
Watch the trailer
Set in 19th-century Europe, the film unfolds in a rural landscape marked by an enigmatic Black Veil. Seventeen-year-old Zélie endures her father Jacob’s draconian control, as he declares himself a masker and imposes harsh purification rites on the sick. Her mother, Emily, is sent to a nearby farm where she crosses paths with Jane and Carmin, each carrying their own burdens. Zélie encounters Gabriel, a wounded, infected soldier hiding in a barn. He proposes killing Jacob. She agrees, but the scheme becomes complicated when Jacob learns of the betrayal and punishes her without mercy. Jacob’s fanatic drive unleashes a cascade of irrevocable tragedies as odd Tesla towers appear across the land, proclaiming electricity as salvation while driving the world deeper into darkness.
Director’s view and cast
Quarxx describes The Ones Who Grieve as a meditation on control within intimate and social structures. He notes that the film examines how authority—moral, paternal, and religious—can normalize violence, with the nineteenth-century setting serving as an oppressive framework. The project portrays toxic legacies that arise from within rather than from external monsters.
Premiere timing and context
The Ones Who Grieve is scheduled to premiere at Fantastic Fest on September 18, marking its world debut. The plot centers on the Tesla towers rising across the countryside and the role of electricity in the story.
