Madame Kika

KIKA follows Kika at the moment her life collapses. Pregnant with her second child, she is confronted with the sudden death of her partner and left alone with grief, financial pressure and the practical demands of everyday survival. What begins as a portrait of shock quickly turns into the story of a woman forced to keep moving while everything around her falls apart. As mourning collides with economic necessity, Kika has little time to process what has happened. Bills need to be paid, decisions must be made and her body itself becomes part of the pressure she is trying to navigate. The film stays close to her physical and emotional exhaustion, tracing how intimate loss slowly transforms into a struggle for stability and dignity. Around her unfolds a world in which the absurd and the painful constantly overlap. Dysfunctional family dynamics, awkward encounters and Kika’s unexpected turn toward sex work introduce a bitter comic edge that never undermines the vulnerability at the center of the story. The tension between emotional devastation and the relentless demands of daily life gives the film its tragicomic energy. Directed by Alexe Poukine, KIKA premiered at the Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival 2025. Starring Manon Clavel alongside Suzanne Elbaz, Makita Samba and Thomas Coumans, the film combines sharp social observation with tenderness and dark humor, becoming a portrait of resilience under pressure and the contradictory ways people continue living through grief.