Alice

Alice

Year: 1988

Runtime: 85 mins

Language: French

Director: Gabriel Benattar

FantasyAdventure

A quiet English girl named Alice chases a white rabbit and slips into a distorted version of her own world. She is surrounded by animated household objects and stuffed animals, confronting a surreal nightmare that forces her to navigate twisted, odd obstacles to escape. The film offers a bizarre, visually striking reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Alice (1988)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Alice (1988). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Time is presented as timeless and fluid, not tied to a specific year. The story moves through a sequence of shifting spaces that feel like a fairytale rather than a historical period. Monarch imagery and playing-card symbolism hint at a fairy-tale past, yet the era remains deliberately undefined to preserve the dreamlike mood.

Location

Alice's sitting room, brook by the house, writing desk on a hill, cellar, elevator past shelves, painted garden, storage room with specimen jars

The setting starts in a familiar home and quickly spills into a dreamlike landscape where rooms twist and doors lead to new realms. From a quiet brook to a glass-case world and a hall of doors, the film moves through a series of surreal locations. The environment blends domestic comfort with fantastical danger, creating a dreamscape where objects come alive and geography is fluid.

🌟 Dreamy 🧭 Surreal 🗺️ Shifting spaces

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:04

Main Characters – Alice (1988)

Meet the key characters of Alice (1988), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Alice

A curious and resourceful girl who navigates a shifting dreamscape after encountering the living White Bunny. She demonstrates determination and quick thinking, using wit to outmaneuver threats. Her journey blends childhood wonder with a growing resolve to shape her own story.

🎀 Protagonist 🧠 Curious 🌀 Imaginative

White Bunny

A cunning figure who breaks free from a glass case and manipulates events with a mix of charm and menace. He drives the action by demanding tasks and pursuing his own mysterious goals. His presence destabilizes the dream, keeping Alice on edge.

🎭 Trickster 🗝️ Key-bearer

Queen of Hearts

A capricious ruler who commands the court with theatrical authority and issues beheadings as a display of power. Her demands set the stakes for the courtroom and threaten Alice's safety. She embodies tyranny exercised through spectacle and fear.

👑 Ruler ⚖️ Tyrannical

King of Hearts

A sovereign who enforces the script and participates in issuing orders. His presence reinforces the formal structure of the dream court and the ritualistic nature of authority within the realm. He contributes to the sense of a rigid, rule-bound world.

👑 Authority 🎭 Ritual

Stocking-Caterpillar

A stockings-clad caterpillar who offers guidance about growth and shrinking through a mushroom. He acts as a cryptic mentor within the dream logic, shaping Alice's abilities to alter size and perspective. His advice is pivotal to navigating the dreamscape's rules.

🪲 Mentor 🌱 Transformative

March Hare

A wind-up host of a mechanical tea party, adding a whimsical but unsettling energy to the scene. He participates in the dream's ornate rituals and contributes to the clockwork feel of the world. His presence emphasizes the fusion of playfulness with unease.

🎩 Eccentric 🫖 Host

Hatter

A wind-up marionette who moves with a precise, timekeeping cadence, part of the dream's mechanical tea party. He embodies the era's blend of whimsy and control, complicating the boundaries between performer and prey. His actions propel the story through the party's surreal progression.

🧰 Mechanized ⏳ Timeless

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:04

Major Themes – Alice (1988)

Explore the central themes of Alice (1988), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

🪄 Fantasy

The movie embraces magical logic where objects awaken and doors transport characters to impossible places. Alice navigates a world governed by whimsy and risk, where imagination dictates action more than rules. The whimsy and danger are intertwined, driving her journey through curiosity and courage.

🪞 Identity

Alice undergoes transformations in size and form, challenging perceptions of who she is. The doll-like moment and changing shapes blur the line between self and role, prompting reflection on agency. The dream world forces a reconsideration of identity as flexible and evolving.

⚖️ Authority

Power is exercised through spectacle and ritual by a Queen and King who enforce a scripted order. The White Bunny's actions highlight how control can be both charming and dangerous. The clash between obedience and rebellion fuels the tension and drives the narrative toward confrontation.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 14:04

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Unlock the Full Story of Alice

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Alice Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Alice, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Alice Summary

Alice Timeline

Track the full timeline of Alice with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Alice Timeline

More About Alice

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More About Alice