Colin Gucci, a man in his 50s and scion of none other than the Gucci family, steps out onto the street. He’s dressed in a chic suit – barefoot. Behind the palm trees in the background, the sun is rising after a chaotic, surreal night. He looks exhausted as he lifts his gaze to the sky and opens his arms as if greeting someone. Then – a beam of white-blue light surrounds him, coming from above. Aliens – no, sorry – Beings picking him up. Something he has been waiting for. Something he always knew would happen eventually, even when no one wanted to talk about it. If you rewind Gucci’s short film The Tiger, you can kind of sense what it’s all about: family, roles in society, expectations, and pressure. But above all, it’s a statement about humanity in times of AI.
That’s at least what you see, and the feeling you get, when you start the film backwards. If you watch it the way Demna, the house’s brand-new artistic director, intended – and how it was actually presented at the premiere in Milan this week – you have no idea what’s going on. Or what to expect. Maybe you anticipated luxury and seduction. Pop culture and casual entertainment. And yes, you kind of get all that. But even more so, you get drama laced with exaggerated and surreal elements, satirical characters, captivating soundtracks, and a highly renowned cast: Demi Moore, Elliot Page, Keke Palmer, Edward Norton, Ronny Chieng, Alex Consani, and Kendall Jenner, just to name a few. It’s kind of like a new season of The White Lotus — except it’s set in the U.S., and everyone’s dressed in looks from the new La Famiglia collection.
So, to cut it short and to finally stop your guessing: The Tiger tells the story of Barbara Gucci (portrayed by Demi Moore), Head of Gucci International and Chairwoman of California, and how she gathers her children, cousins, and a respected journalist for her birthday dinner. From the beginning, she struggles to balance it all: being the confident, successful heir to a massive company, being a mother, and simply being a good host. When the night takes an unexpected turn (no spoilers – but children can be petty), Barbara’s façade starts to crack – forcing everyone to reconsider their relationships, their polished exteriors, and the roles they’re constantly performing.
While the plot unfolds, it’s definitely worth listening closely to the dialogues. I mean, there’s Alex Consani dropping her iconic one-liner: “Girl, I’m the young, hot, rich bitch.” Something she could’ve also said in real life, to be honest. There’s Braxton (Elliot Page) telling the story of how the family started by selling handcrafted leather suitcases – a nod to the real Gucci’s beginnings in early 20th-century Florence. Barbara adding that her own father founded the company in 1820 (one century before the real Gucci was founded), followed by a very sceptical look from the journalist. And rightly so, since Barbara lives in a very contemporary 21st-century mansion. And if you listen really, really closely, you can hear how the film subtly transports us into a futuristic, apocalyptic time in which AI is more powerful than governments – through a short discussion between Barbara and Braxton during the fitting:
“Mom! Santa Monica called. Their fault lines are spreading nearly 40 feet across now. They want more money for bridges.”
“I thought AI was gonna fix it.”
“Well, I’ve been negotiating with it, but it wants, like, ten billion.”
“What does it need money for?”
“Ego. It’s the eighth-richest AI in the world right now. It wants to crack the top five.”
“I thought AI was gonna fix it.”
“Well, I’ve been negotiating with it, but it wants, like, ten billion.”
“What does it need money for?”
“Ego. It’s the eighth-richest AI in the world right now. It wants to crack the top five.”
So, as you can see, time, age, and truth in The Tiger are distorted – an illusion, you could say. It doesn’t make sense, but it makes sense in an ironic, bold way. And in direct contrast to this mess, there are glimpses of humanity showing in the characters. Because as the night arrives at its peak, all the characters start to ask random (like, super random) questions about just being, perceiving yourself, about hands and what you’d do if there was a tiger in the room. Why do you see yourself from the inside and others from the outside? Can you be it all?
In a very non-obvious way, Demna gives us, with The Tiger, something we’ve all been craving. Because right now, it’s a time in which AI is starting to improve – increasing the fear of all our jobs in the creative industry being taken. It’s a time of unclarity. Where no one really knows: How can we work with AI? Learn with it? Be efficient with it without being replaced? Where advertorials in Vogue are being created completely digitally. And every student finishes their paper with ChatGPT. Right now, it seems to work. But what happens in the future? The artistic director asks all those questions, addresses exactly this topic, and answers it by doing something AI can’t do: Understanding emotions. Humans questioning human behaviour. Relationships. Feeling the urge to always be perfect. Fear and pressure. Experiencing bonding moments. Listening to music from cable headphones. Showing someone excitedly the pockets in a dress. Hope and happiness. Being hurt. Desperation. Family.
Of course, we already knew that Demna’s Gucci debut – the La Famiglia collection – was a success. A collection where each look represents a character. But with The Tiger, this debut feels complete. Like it has come full circle: It’s exciting. It’s captivating. It’s an homage to the real Gucci family. To Tom Ford’s iconic Gucci looks. It’s a moment of pure pop culture (though honestly, it would’ve been fine not to have Kendall Jenner in something for once). It addresses the zeitgeist. It’s weird. It’s surreal. It’s Gucci’s identity – monograms and nostalgia – mixed with the sharp lines and silhouettes we know from Demna’s Balenciaga days. It’s a fresh start for the house. And we’re ready for what’s next.
