Two years ago, a singular French film called PROJET P slipped out into the world, a raw and unflinching descent into one man’s psychological rupture. It did not set box offices ablaze, but it carved out a devoted following among those who crave authenticity over gloss. Its creator, Kévin Ars-Vives, wrote, directed, and starred in it, a deeply personal labor born from his own documented struggles. Now, on August 23, 2026, exactly two years to the day, Ars-Vives returns with PROJET P 2. And if the first film was a plunge into the abyss, this sequel suggests the abyss has learned to wait.
Release Date & Where to Watch
PROJET P 2 arrives today, August 23, 2026. The film, which runs a tight and efficient 30 minutes, will be available on digital platforms. A wide theatrical rollout was never on the table for a project of this scale and intimacy, so your best bet is to check major VOD services - think Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Vimeo On Demand - where the first installment has been quietly gathering viewers. Given the director’s previous pattern, a physical release or a festival circuit appearance in the fall is not out of the question, but for now, it’s a screen you can cue up at home. Do not expect a lengthy post-credits scene or a mid-credits stinger; the film’s momentum is too tightly coiled for that. You will likely want to sit with the ending for a while, anyway.
Cast & Crew
The production remains a family affair, anchored once again by Ars-Vives, who reprises the role of Kévin Ars-Vives - a fictionalized version of himself that feels dangerously close to the bone. He is joined once more by Farah Larabi as Farah, a figure of stability in a world that keeps cracking. The returning Basile Béziat steps into the role of Mr. Mcbaras, a name that feels deliberately off-kilter, a clue to a character who seems to operate by his own cryptic rules. The supporting ensemble is rounded out by Gaétan Guidat, pulling double duty as both Gaston Guitare and Gaétan, while Louis Charpentier plays Fabio and Arthur Couronne takes on the role of a tourist guide. Adding texture to the audio landscape are Léo Haltali-Daoudi and Paul Rabache, credited as voice-off journalists - disembodied voices that likely serve as the film’s Greek chorus, commenting on events Kévin cannot control.
What is most striking here is the continuity. This is not a studio-mandated sequel with a new writer and a new director. Ars-Vives has not handed off his creation to a hired hand. He is still the singular author of this universe, and that consistency is palpable in every frame. He understands these characters with an intimacy that no outside voice could replicate.
Story & What to Expect
The logline for PROJET P 2 cuts immediately to the present. Two years have passed. Kévin is still healing. The death of his best friend, a wound he has carried since the events of the first film, remains a quiet ache. The suicide attempt at St. Clair - a harrowing sequence that defined the original - is now a scar, not an open wound. He is, for the first time in a long time, experiencing something resembling calm. A fragile peace. The film’s official synopsis describes him “gradually emerging from the depths of despair,” and that is where we find him: not cured, not transformed, but functional. He is breathing.
Then, the mystery. A disappearance. Someone is gone, and the circumstances are vague enough to be menacing. The genres are listed as Mystery and Thriller, which is a notable shift from the raw psychological drama of the first entry. The beauty of the premise is that the film refuses to give away what exactly has vanished. Is it a person? A memory? A version of himself he had only just begun to trust? The synopsis’s deliberate ambiguity - “a mysterious disappearance” - suggests the plot’s engine is more emotional than procedural.
Expect a film that operates in the space between dread and hope. Ars-Vives has a gift for making stillness feel loaded, for making a simple conversation feel like a trap door waiting to open. The 30-minute runtime works in his favor; this is not a film that dawdles. It plunges into the mystery with the economy of a short story, trusting the audience to fill the gaps. The tourist guide character hints at a possible setting shift - perhaps a journey, a forced excursion that collides with the past Kévin is trying to outrun. And with Mr. Mcbaras returning, there is a strong sense that the past is not just a memory; it is a presence, waiting for the right moment to reintroduce itself.
Why It’s Worth Watching
PROJET P 2 is not a crowd-pleaser. It does not have the sheen of a Netflix thriller or the spectacle of a franchise picture. What it offers is rarer in 2026: a sustained, unbroken point of view. Ars-Vives is not making art to please a demographic; he is making it to exorcise something. That honesty is disarming.
The TMDb rating currently sits at 0/10, but that is only because the film has just premiered and has not yet accumulated votes. As of this writing, the score is a blank slate, and that is oddly fitting for a movie about a man who is trying to write his own next chapter. If you saw the first film, you owe it to yourself to see where Kévin lands. If you have not, you can still enter here; the film is clear-eyed about the backstory without being burdened by it.
This is also a masterclass in micro-budget filmmaking. With a runtime shorter than an average episode of television, Ars-Vives proves you do not need two hours and $100 million to create a compelling mystery. You need a character you can feel, a mood you can hold in your hand, and a story that knows when to stop. PROJET P 2 stops at exactly the right moment, leaving you with a shiver, a question, and the distinct feeling that Kévin is not the only one waiting for an answer. Consider this a quiet, unnerving gem worth seeking out before the conversation starts.
