The Lion at My Back

The Lion at My Back

2026 · 106 min · ★ 5.0 · Drama

Mariama, an asylum-seeker from Senegal, has just turned 18. Stella, at first glance a withdrawn woman in her 40s, has recently decided to break free from the clutches of addiction and to give her life a fresh start. In their attempt at finding their place in a world where nothing comes for free, the two women meet and form an unexpectedly strong bond.

Directed by Tonia Mishiali · Written by Tonia Mishiali

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 25m together

The Lion at My Back

Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump

Both from Tonia Mishiali.

More from Tonia MishialiSee all →

Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump

Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump · 2026

Smaragda - I Got Thick Skin and I Can't Jump

The film follows Smaragda, a middle-aged woman on a journey of self-discovery. After countless failed relationships and a stagnant career, she decided to jump into social media for some notion of visibility, which she definitely sucks at.

Iman

Follows three interconnected stories in modern day Nicosia, Cyprus: a civil engineer is blamed for the collapse of a building; a teenage girl becomes involved in a dangerous sexual relationship; two radicalized Arab women plan out an Islamic terrorist attack.

Dead End

Dead End · 2013

The loss of youth, social and professional activity intensifies the sense of loneliness, the obsessions and the "dead end" in the life of an elderly couple.

Find Me Falling

Find Me Falling · 2024

Find Me Falling

MovieRomanceComedy

After a failed comeback album, a rock star retreats to a cliffside home on Cyprus, only to find his new life complicated by visitors — and an old flame.

Pause

Trapped in the misery of an oppressive marriage, a middle-aged woman finds refuge in a fantasy world of vindictive violence. Soon, reality and fantasy start to blur.

Daphne

Daphne switches from one sexual partner to the next, but does not seem to be satisfied, at least not with what she thought she needed. How far would she go to feel some affection?

The Magic Beans

The Magic Beans · 2015

The Magic Beans

Four friends overcome their insecurities in surreal and unexpected ways after eating a plate of 'magic' beans.

I Don't Like the Wind, I Like the Sun

I Don't Like the Wind, I Like the Sun · 2020

I Don't Like the Wind, I Like the Sun

MovieDocumentary

The achievement of independence, social inclusion and employment, fuel the sense of happiness and brighten the lives of a group of people with intellectual disability.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter