Abstract: The French short films Les Oracles, Sphinx, and Œdipe, chronicle the life of Œdipe, a young man with Down syndrome. The films are a contemporary take on the Greek mythological figure Oedipus. The second film depicts his quest to free Thebes from Sphinx.

Details: Sphinx showcases the confrontation between Œdipe and the Sphinx. In a montage with glimpses from the future, a young man is seen gearing up to fight the Sphinx, shouting repeatedly: “I’m going to fuck her.” A shot of his corpse suggests that the Sphinx killed him. Scene shifts and Œdipe reaches Thebes. He enters the building the monster resides in and after a few bureaucratic checks (contractual consent, transfer of his “voucher” to his supposed mother, his last supper), he is finally led to the roof. The sphinx has her back to him, does not react to his entrance and seems asleep. The night passes. When the sphinx wakes up, she laughs for a few minutes. She is depicted as a drag queen in a costume with feathers and fur. When she catches the sight of Œdipe, she enquires if he has been watching her for long. Wordlessly, he goes over to her and combs her hair with a comb he received from a guard. She sings an opera style musical number on the fluidity of gender and the necessity of death. The song culminates into an oral coitus between Œdipe and the Sphinx. Later, they are shown being intimate, arm in arm, and Œdipe manages to answer Sphinx’s question liberating Thebes. Œdipe is told that he is to marry Queen Jocasta. He calls his foster parents, who do not answer. It is insinuated that they are having sex.