TIFF 2025 Review: The Fence

Matt Dillon Returns in Claire Denis’ Slow-Burning Drama The Fence

Matt Dillon (The Outsiders, Crash) was such a heartthrob back in the day, and we couldn’t be more excited to see him back on the big screen alongside Tom Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) and Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex) in Claire Denis’ latest film, The Fence.

Claire Denis, a French filmmaker and screenwriter who grew up in West Africa, has built her career exploring themes of racial inequality, colonialism, and exploitation through acclaimed works like Chocolat, White Material, and Beau Travail. So when I heard she was adapting Bernard-Marie Koltès’ play Black Battles with Dogs, I was intrigued especially knowing she’d bring her signature cinematic intimacy to the screen.

The Fence tells the story of Horn (Matt Dillon) and Cal (Tom Blyth), two men stationed at a construction site in rural West Africa. After a tragic accident, the brother of the deceased, Alboury (Isaach De Bankolé), arrives in the middle of the night demanding the return of his sibling’s body. But the body isn’t there. As tensions rise, Horn’s girlfriend Leonie (Mia McKenna-Bruce) arrives to stay with them but her presence, combined with the unfolding situation, only heightens the uneasy dynamic between the men.

The film unfolds almost entirely in one location, giving it the feel of a single-take chamber piece. While this setup can work beautifully when there’s depth or emotional evolution, The Fence struggles to maintain momentum. The arguments between Dillon and De Bankolé deliver strong performances, but after a while, it starts to feel repetitive circling around the same conflict without moving it forward.

There were glimmers of something more particularly with Cal’s quiet frustration and Leonie’s arrival  but those threads never really develop. I kept waiting for the story to dig deeper, to give us more insight into these characters or the bigger message Denis wanted to convey.

The Fence could have gone in so many directions, but it ultimately feels slow and stretched thin. While the performances carry weight, the pacing and lack of emotional payoff left me wanting more.

The Fence has no theatrical release date as of now