The Cost of Heaven () is a Canadian thriller drama film, directed by Mathieu Denis and released in 2025.Charles-Henri Ramond, "(TIFF 2025) Importante sélection québécoise". Films du Québec, August 10, 2025. The film stars Samir Guesmi as Nacer Belkacem, a man who has seemingly built an enviable career and family life, but who has in fact accumulated significant debt from overspending and bad investments, and who thus hatches a desperate plan to stave off financial disaster.
The cast also includes Crixus Lapointe, Meriem Medjkane, Brett Donahue, Marie-Josée Bélanger and Samir Firouz in supporting roles.
The film received production funding from Quebec's Société de développement des entreprises culturelles in 2023,Victoria Ahearn, "SODEC doles out production funding to 14 fiction features". Playback, May 4, 2023. and was shot in Montreal in fall 2024.Félix Poncelet-Marsan, "Mathieu Denis pousse plus loin sa démarche et ses collaborations sur « Gagne ton ciel »". Qui Fait Quoi, January 28, 2025.
The film premiered in the Centrepiece program at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.Jamie Casemore, "Three Canadian world premieres slated for TIFF’s Centrepiece". Playback, August 5, 2025. It is also slated to screen in the Borsos Competition program at the 2025 Whistler Film Festival.Andrew Tracy, "Youngblood, Akashi among Whistler’s Borsos Award nominees". Playback, October 28, 2025.
Cast
Samir Guesmi as Nacer Belkacem Crixius Lapointe as Felix Boyd-Novak Meriem Medjkane as Farrah Vincent Leclerc as Richard Adrien Bletton as Thibaud de Balanthier-Lantage Mohammed Marouazi as Rafik Victoria Diamond as Sarah Novak Brett Donahue as Michael Boyd Vlasta Vrána as Ben Novak
Critical response Sarah Gopaul of That Shelf wrote that "as Nacer’s fallacy turns into delusion, his grip on right and wrong erodes. While the camera views are mostly traditional, there are two key points in the narrative that intentionally stand out. As Nacer goes past the point of no return, the camera rotates to reflect his unstable mental state. Viewers can guess what Nacer going off the deep end will look like, but it’s not exactly as you’d expect. The revolving perspective acts as a turning point in the story."Sarah Gopaul, "The Cost of Heaven Review: TIFF 2025". That Shelf, September 9, 2025.
Awards Award Year Category Work Result Reference Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival 2025 Outstanding French-Language Feature Film Mathieu Denis "‘Out Standing’ and John Candy doc take audience awards at Cinéfest". Sudbury.com, September 28, 2025. Kingston Canadian Film Festival 2026 Best Film (Playback Prize) Jamie Casemore, "Mathieu Denis’ The Cost of Heaven wins Playback Prize at KCFF". Playback, March 2, 2026.
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