Winner of the special Coup de Coeur award at this year’s Cannes Un Certain Regard, French-Canadian filmmaker Monia Chokri’s rapid-fire comedy of thirtysomething romance and sibling rivalry evokes the exuberant energy of her sometime collaborator Xavier Dolan.

Thirty five and single, Sophia (the sensational Anne-Élisabeth Bossé) misses out on a plum academic job and is forced to move in with her older brother Karim, with whom she’s always been extremely close. But when Karim falls for Sophia’s gynecologist Eloïse, their unbreakable sibling bond is tested and Sophia’s directionless life is sent spiralling out of control.

Making her buoyant feature debut, actor-turned-filmmaker Monia Chokri blends the rambling energy of early Xavier Dolan (she starred in his Heartbeats and Laurence Anyways) with her own acerbic, lightning quick comic instincts. With its unusual rhythm, sensational lead performance, and keen emotional insights, A Brother’s Love is a funny, sometimes bittersweet debut that lingers.

“Chokri swings for the fences and connects. This kind of joy in filmmaking can’t be faked.” – Variety