Smecheria or the Con­fi­dences of a Cheat

80 min · Animation, Documentary

An animated documentary immersing viewers in the shadowy and hypnotic world of the shell game, a notorious street scam where players must find a ball hidden under one of three cups. At its core is Doru, a 60-year-old Romanian player whose life is as elusive as the game itself: a labyrinth of illusions and manipulations. As Doru reveals the secrets of the game and recounts his nomadic life story across Europe to the director Antoine, the line between reality and illusion begins to blur, until the world itself feels like one grand shell game.

Directed by Antoine Fontaine · Written by Antoine Fontaine