Official synopsis
A deeply unsettling portrait of grief and psychological unraveling, Nesting follows Pénélope (Rose-Marie Perreault), a new mother struggling with postpartum depression and the lingering trauma of her sister’s death. As sleep deprivation takes hold, the boundary between dream and reality begins to collapse, pulling her into a paranoid and increasingly dangerous spiral.
Review
With Nesting (Peau à Peau; Switzerland/Canada, 2025), writer/director Chloé Cinq-Mars crafts an absolutely harrowing character study of new mother Pénélope (Rose-Marie Perreault) and how being held at gunpoint during a store robbery worsens her postpartum depression into a downward spiral of full-fledged madness. Cinq-Mars deftly balances the dramatic elements that drive the first two acts documenting Pénélope’s worsening conditions and the horror elements that truly kick in for the third act.
Perreault gives an incredible performance as Pénélope, which is no easy feat as the character goes through sudden emotional and psychological changes. The robbery incident triggers memories of her sister Charlotte’s (Marie Bélanger) death, and from that point on, Pénélope is haunted and tortured by what seems to be Charlotte’s ghostly presence.
There’s no escaping the dread through which Pénélope goes. As if the visuals were not enough — the danger the baby is put in will have viewers squirming in their seats — there is plenty of other tension, too. From her baby son’s near-constant crying to other irritating noises, Olivier Calvert’s sound design immerses viewers deeply into the barrage of exasperating aural clutter she experiences.
Cinq-Mars does a brilliant job of addressing issues surrounding mental health care and the lack of support that many people receive for it. Pénélope receives no help from her boyfriend nor either of their parents, and medical support is not empathetic to her plight, either. Nesting is a genre film that carries a heavy message, giving viewers plenty to think about as they become heavily invested in the safety of Pénélope and her baby son.
Nesting, from Breaking Glass Pictures, arrives on VOD platforms May 29, 2026.
