Pierre Niney & Virginie Efira Team Up with Vincent Cassel: Sneak Peek & Release Date Revealed!

It’s official, Parallel Stories, the new film by Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Past) will compete at the Cannes Film Festival. With the announcement of its cast, a majestic appearance on the Cannes steps was anticipated, and it’s indeed happening!

Good news, the movie will hit theaters on Thursday, May 14th. Its distributor has just announced the release date, which coincides with its Cannes competition screening.

A Star-Studded Cast

This new French-language feature from the Iranian filmmaker features the elite of French cinema: Isabelle Huppert, Virginie Efira, Vincent Cassel, Pierre Niney, and Adam Bessa (noted in the movie The Ghosts, and nominated in the Breakthrough category at the César Awards 2025). Catherine Deneuve also makes a remarkable appearance.

The first photos have been released. Here they are below on an Instagram post by its distributor (and here on AlloCiné):

Official Synopsis Revealed

What will Parallel Stories be about? Until now, the details had been closely guarded. Speaking to AlloCiné, Pierre Niney had shared the main theme: “It’s about the fantasy of fiction and how fiction can become a virus of reality.”

The official synopsis has since been shared by its distributor. Here it is: In search of inspiration for her new novel, Sylvie spies on her neighbors across the street. When she hires the young Adam to assist her with her daily routine, she has no idea that he will turn her life and work upside down, until the fiction she had imagined surpasses their reality.

Niney also mentioned, “It’s very interesting. The script is great.”

Additionally, he clarified that a rumor suggesting the film would be about the Bataclan is completely false: “It’s not at all about the Bataclan. I don’t know where that rumor started from. Again, it proves that you need to check your sources, cross-check them!“

Asghar Farhadi Returns to France 12 Years After The Past

The filming took place in autumn 2025. Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose last film, A Hero, won the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2021, has once again directed a film in French.

“This film marks his return to France after The Past with Tahar Rahim and Bérénice Bejo – Best Actress Award at Cannes in 2013 – which attracted a million viewers in French cinemas”, Memento recalls.

Asghar Farhadi has won two Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film, for A Separation in 2012, and The Salesman in 2017. He also received the Best Screenplay Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2016 for The Salesman.

This film will mark the reunion of Pierre Niney and Virginie Efira after 20 years apart.

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