Guillaume Canet directs Marion Cotillard in Karma, a gripping thriller set in northern Spain. When Jeanne's godson disappears, her hidden past makes her the prime suspect. In cinemas now.
Guillaume Canet returns to the director's chair with Karma, a taut thriller that marks his reunion with Marion Cotillard, with whom he shares both a personal and professional history. Set in a secluded village in northern Spain, the film follows Jeanne (Cotillard), a woman attempting to rebuild her life with Daniel (Denis Ménochet), who remains unaware of her troubled past. When her six-year-old godson vanishes, Jeanne becomes the primary suspect, and the fragile peace she has constructed begins to crumble.
Cotillard and Canet have collaborated before, notably in Canet's directorial debut Mon idole (2002) and later in Blood Ties (2013). Their off-screen partnership adds an undeniable chemistry to their on-screen dynamic, here channeled into a story of secrets and suspicion. The supporting cast is equally impressive: Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia (Wild Tales), Spanish scene-stealer Luis Zahera (The Realm), and French actress Anne Le Forestier round out an international ensemble that reflects the film's cross-border setting.
Did you know? This is not the first time Canet has directed Cotillard in a thriller—their 2013 crime drama Blood Ties also explored themes of loyalty and deception. However, Karma marks a shift to a more intimate, psychological register, with the Spanish countryside serving as a character in its own right. The film's 140-minute runtime allows for a slow-burn build-up, characteristic of Canet's recent work.
With its blend of rural noir and domestic drama, Karma invites comparisons to classics of the genre like The Hunt (2012), where a close-knit community turns on an innocent. Yet Canet's film adds a layer of ambiguity: Jeanne's past is never fully revealed, keeping audiences guessing until the final reel. If you're a fan of thrillers that prioritize character over cheap scares, this is one to catch on the big screen.
