Laser-Gato

Cannes Film Festival: LASER-GATO 🐱 (2026)

I would’ve never guessed that a story centered around a teenager with a laser pointer would end up being one of the best films of the year, yet here we are.

LASER-GATO (Laser-Cat) is a Brazilian psychological thriller that screened in the La Cinef section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and it leaves behind a wonderfully creeping, lasting unease that I couldn’t get enough of.

The film follows Theo, a teenager trapped in the suffocating haze of cabin fever, wasting away another lonely night when he decides to mess around with his laser pointer and his neighbour’s cat. What begins as harmless fun quickly mutates into a nightmare.

After one impulsive decision goes far too far, Theo is forced into a frantic odyssey through the streets of São Paulo, desperately trying to outrun the guilt, paranoia, and dread swallowing him whole. And the genius of LASER-GATO is that the paranoia becomes contagious. This isn’t the kind of thriller where you sit back comfortably as an observer. The film drags you directly into Theo’s spiraling headspace until every shadow, every passing stranger, and every sound in the distance feels like a threat closing in.

That’s what makes it one of the year’s most unforgettable watches.

Teenage boys are already professionally talented at making terrible decisions (as someone who used to shoot Roman candle fireworks at each other, I can unfortunately confirm this), but add boredom, isolation, and unchecked curiosity into the equation and you get LASER-GATO.

The film perfectly captures that dangerous cocktail of intrusive thoughts, impulsive thinking, and morbid curiosity, the kind that starts with, “What’s the worst that could happen?” before spiraling violently out of control. And once Theo’s harmless game curdles into something far more sinister, the film transforms into a nerve-shredding descent through a city already gripped by fear, as reports of a serial killer on the loose echo throughout the night.

What makes LASER-GATO hit so hard is how vividly it recreates the feeling of being that age: naive, restless, and convinced you understand the world, only to suddenly come face-to-face with the terrifying realities adults tried to shield you from.

At the center of it all is a phenomenal breakout performance from 15-year-old Gabriel Brennecke, who absolutely nails that sick-to-your-stomach feeling of realizing, “Oh my God… my parents are going to kill me.” Every moment of panic feels painfully real.

LASER-GATO is a sweaty, anxiety-inducing spiral into guilt and consequence, a paranoia-fueled nightmare that weaponizes morbid curiosity and refuses to let go. 

Enjoy!

8.8/10 🍿 🎥

Runtime: 22minutes

Where: World Premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival La Cinef

The Richmond Reviewer Laser-Gato Review - May 20th, 2026.

#ShortFilm #Cinema #MovieReview #Review #Brazil #Cannes