Pocket Mirror (VIFF 2026): A Lonely Little Mystery About a Cat You Never See

Sofia Banzhaf in Pocket Mirror. Courtesy of the filmmakers.

Adrian Murray's Pocket Mirror starts with a small, strange question: has Maisie's cat been replaced? She works retail in a mall where half the storefronts sit empty. Her boyfriend works overnight security and is rarely around. When the cat's behaviour changes, the only one she can really talk it through with is an AI chatbot. The cat is never on screen, but the signs are there: food eaten, things knocked over. Is she losing her grip, or is something actually wrong?

The mystery works, but it isn't really the point. This is a quiet commentary on Gen Z isolation: thin prospects, thin connections, and a willingness to accept almost anything just to feel normal. Sofia Banzhaf carries it, grounding some deeply odd choices in something that feels uncomfortably real. It's well made, I enjoyed it, and it's worth seeing if you like your festival picks small and unsettling.