Through the very real circumstances of the Cité Gagarine, directors Liatard and Trouilh put faces and names to the many public policy discussions conducted in private that destroy both the lives and legacies of real people.

The camaraderie between the characters is so strong and effective that Liatard and Trouilhs occasional forays into magical realism feel intrusive and forced.

It’s a piece of urban history seen through the lens of magic realism, a fragile but beguiling fantasy, tethered now and then to gritty reality, about a do-gooder doing the best he can against daunting odds.

Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh’s feature debut, Gagarine, is a beautifully told story about shattered dreams with magical realism attached to it.