Run time: 106 mins

Little in Julia’s life is under control. With a chaotic opening scene full of yelling and pushing in front of an unsteady camera, Lola Quivoron’s debut paints a gritty picture of a misfit biker.

We meet Julia (Julie Ledru) in the throes of a loud, physical escape from men trying to constrain her — the reasons aren’t clear, but it’s obvious that being around people, and being held back, aren’t her favourite situations. Commanding a bike is what Julia lives for — she runs hot, but rides happy — and to make that happen, she’s got a neatly larcenous scam: convincing male motorbike owners into letting a smiling, flirtatiously knowledgeable female buyer test-drive their wheels, for which all they get in return is a middle finger as she tears off. She has outsized ambitions to pull off a large-scale bike heist that stands to earn a lot of money,

Ledru carries the dramatic plot with an understated but powerful presence. Her face is difficult to read, yet her body is open about her anger and drive to fight the world hellbent against her.