Kika

Bluesky

Can inflicting pain on others end the real thing? Kika, directed by Alexe Poukine, is a contemporary story set in Brussels that opens an unsettling door to the unknown. Kika (Manon Clavel), a social worker who is married with one child (Suzanne Elbaz), experiences an unexpected change in her life. A chance encounter brought about by a broken key leads to her falling in love with David (Makita Samba).

Kika separates from her husband, Paul (Thomas Coumans), and soon becomes pregnant by David. Due to a sudden tragedy, she finds herself utterly alone. The broken bond she suffers with her baby is also reflected in her life. In a short time, she finds herself turning to sex work to earn her living.

Kika, who hardly touches anyone, only engages in BDSM with her clients. She never relinquishes control, feels nothing but shame or anxiety and always maintains her inner coldness. The rarely used scoring from Pierre Desprats emphasises the feeling of emptiness she is experiencing. Under the oppressive colors of the rooms she uses for her sex work, Kika is drawn deeper into pain, as though it is a black hole.

Focusing on the unpredictability of life, Poukine does not let Kika give up, no matter what she experiences. The director takes the audience on the journey of a woman who could be considered fragile, finding her own strength – because the greatest battles are fought in the most vulnerable moments.

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