The Electric Kiss

The Electric Kiss
Promotional poster
FrenchLa Vénus électrique
LiterallyThe Electric Venus
Directed byPierre Salvadori
Screenplay by
Story by
Produced byPhilippe Martin
Starring
CinematographyJulien Poupard
Edited byAnne-Sophie Bion
Music byCamille Bazbaz
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Diaphana Distribution (France)
  • O'Brother Distribution (Belgium)
Release dates
  • 12 May 2026 (2026-05-12) (Cannes)
  • 12 May 2026 (2026-05-12) (France)
Running time
122 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • Belgium
LanguageFrench
Box office$5.1 million[1]

The Electric Kiss (French: La Vénus électrique, lit. 'The Electric Venus') is a 2026 period romantic comedy-drama film directed by Pierre Salvadori, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Benjamin Charbit and Benoît Graffin and based on an original idea by Rebecca Zlotowski and Robin Campillo. It stars Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche, and Vimala Pons. The plot follows a young grieving painter who tries to contact his dead wife through a psychic after losing his inspiration to work.[2]

The film had its world premiere as the opening film of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 12 May and was released theatrically in France on the same day by Diaphana Distribution.[3]

Plot

In Paris, 1928, young painter Antoine Balestro mourns the death of his wife Irène, which he blames himself for and which has caused him to lose his motivation to paint. Having turned to alcohol, he attempts to contact his wife through a psychic one night. A young carnival worker named Suzanne, who has only snuck into the trailer to steal food, pretends to be a clairvoyant for Antoine. Antoine's art dealer, Armand, is desperate to have his client continue painting so he convinces Suzanne to keep up the act in exchange for paying her debts. She begins staging improvised séances for Antoine where she pretends to channel Irène. As Antoine gradually improves, Suzanne finds herself falling in love with the man she is manipulating.

Cast

Production

Salvadori wrote the film's screenplay with Benjamin Charbit and Benoît Graffin based on an original idea by Rebecca Zlotowski and Robin Campillo.[2] The film was produced by Philippe Martin for Les Films Pelléas, in co-production with Versus, France 2 Cinéma, Pio & Co, Tovo Films, RTBF, BeTV, Orange, Proximus.[3]

Principal photography began on 26 May 2025. Shooting was scheduled to last ten weeks, taking place in Belgium (in Liège and the surrounding area), Paris and the Île-de-France region, and expected to continue until 1 August 2025.[4]

Release

The Electric Kiss was selected to be the opening film at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere out-of-competition on 12 May 2026, it was released theatrically in France on the same day by Diaphana Distribution.[3] O'Brother Distribution is set to distribute the film in Belgium.[5]

In January 2026, Goodfellas acquired international sales for the film, then titled Venus Electrificata, and presented the film for distributors during the 28th Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris later that same month.[6]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 59% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[8] On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 10 reviews from French critics.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The Electric Kiss (2026)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "La Vénus électrique by Pierre Salvadori – Opening film of the 79th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. 1 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Goodfellow, Melanie (1 April 2024). "Cannes: Pierre Salvadori's 'The Electric Kiss' Unveiled As Opening Film". Deadline. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  4. ↑ Lemercier, Fabien (30 June 2025). "Pierre Salvadori is shooting La Vénus électrique". Cineuropa. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  5. ↑ "La coproduction franco-belge "La Vénus électrique" fera l'ouverture du Festival de Cannes". Paris Match Belgique (in French). 2 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  6. ↑ Goodfellow, Melanie (13 January 2026). "Goodfellas Launches Period Romance 'Venus Electrificata' With Pio Marmaï, Anaïs Demoustier, Gilles Lellouche & Vimala Pons At Unifrance Paris Rendez-Vous". Deadline. Retrieved 3 April 2026.
  7. ↑ "The Electric Kiss". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
  8. ↑ "The Electric Kiss". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 24 May 2026.
  9. ↑ "Critiques Presse pour le film La Vénus électrique" (in French). AlloCiné. Retrieved 13 May 2026.
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