Quirky Locarno Bloody Tennis, Tunisian Horror, Kleptomania

The Locarno Film Festival has carved out a reputation as a haven for cinematic oddities, and this year’s lineup leans hard into that legacy. Organizers have unveiled a selection that includes a horror movie set on a tennis court, a Tunisian genre entry that promises to unsettle, and a darkly comic drama about a surgeon who cannot stop stealing. The 79th edition of the Swiss event, running from August 5 through 15, appears to be doubling down on its tradition of programming films that defy easy categorization.

A Racket of Terror: ‘Bloody Tennis’

Among the most talked-about titles in this year’s competition is “Bloody Tennis,” a horror film that uses the sport’s enclosed, rhythmic world as the backdrop for something far more sinister. The film follows a professional player who discovers that her new coach has a disturbing connection to a series of on-court murders. Early descriptions suggest a blend of sports-movie intensity and slasher tension, with matches doubling as death traps. The director, an emerging filmmaker from Eastern Europe, has described the project as a meditation on ambition and obsession, using the repetitive thwack of the ball as a countdown to violence. Locarno programmers have placed it in the festival’s main competition, a sign of confidence in its ability to bypass genre ghettos and land with mainstream festival audiences.

Tunisian Horror Makes a Statement

Another standout is a Tunisian horror film that marks only the second genre feature ever produced in that country. The movie centers on a rural family terrorized by a supernatural entity tied to local folklore, but the scares are grounded in very real anxieties about land rights and generational trauma. Tunisia’s film industry has grown steadily in recent years, but horror remains a niche pursuit. The director, a first-time feature filmmaker, has cited the lack of a local horror tradition as both a challenge and an opportunity - free from established tropes, the film builds its dread from everyday textures: the creak of an olive tree, the heat of a midday sun, the weight of silence. Locarno’s selection signals an appetite beyond the festival’s usual European and American fare, and the film is expected to attract attention from distributors looking for fresh regional voices.

The Surgeon Who Couldn’t Stop Taking

On the lighter side of the festival’s strangeness is a film about a gifted surgeon who suffers from kleptomania. The protagonist steals not out of need or malice, but out of an inexplicable compulsion that begins to unravel both his professional life and his marriage. The film balances medical drama with dark comedy, as the surgeon’s thefts escalate from pens and paper clips to surgical tools and, eventually, a patient’s identification bracelet. The director, a veteran of the festival circuit, has said the story was inspired by a real condition and explores the gap between public competence and private chaos. Early reviews from pre-festival screenings praise the lead performance for making an unsympathetic character oddly endearing. The film will premiere in the festival’s Piazza Grande section, which typically draws the largest crowds.

Locarno’s Quirky Tradition Endures

None of these films are accidental choices. Locarno has long positioned itself as the festival that lets its hair down while others stay formal. While Cannes and Venice chase prestige and Oscar campaigns, Locarno programs movies with titles like “The Strange Case of Dr. Klepto” (working title) and “Bloody Tennis” without apology. This year’s selection committee chair noted that the festival has no interest in being predictable. “We look for films that start conversations over dinner, not just during the Q&A,” they said in a statement. The emphasis on genre-bending and culturally specific stories also reflects a broader shift in independent cinema, where boundaries between art-house and commercial are increasingly porous.

Audiences at Locarno will have the chance to see these films in their intended settings - outdoor screenings on the Piazza Grande, late-night showings in smaller venues, and discussions with directors who are unafraid to mix horror with social commentary. For now, the buzz is building. “Bloody Tennis” has already drawn comparisons to “The Duke of Burgundy” meets “The Tennis Player,” while the Tunisian horror film has been called “a masterclass in slow-burn dread” by one early observer. The surgeon comedy, meanwhile, may prove to be the sleeper hit: a character study that makes you laugh, wince, and think, all before the final reel.

As the start date approaches, expect more details on these titles and the rest of the lineup. Locarno remains the festival where strange films find their first, most passionate audiences. This year, they are bringing tennis rackets, Tunisian djinns, and a surgeon with sticky fingers. No one is complaining.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter