Writer-director Marie Kreutzer and star Léa Seydoux appeared at Deadline’s Contenders London event to discuss their Cannes drama, Gentle Monster.
Plot and perspective
In the film, Seydoux stars as Lucy, an experimental pianist who relocates with her young son and panic-attack-liable husband, Philip (played by Laurence Rupp), to a rural farmhouse in Bavaria. Their lives change when a special unit of big-city police, led by Detective Kühn (Jella Haase), arrives and seizes one of Philip’s devices. Officers discover thousands of images of child pornography, exposing his double life. Catherine Deneuve appears in the feature as Lucy’s mother.
Seydoux explained that she was drawn to the script because the story is told through the female protagonist’s perspective rather than that of the victim or perpetrator. She noted that the revelation at the center of the movie creates an “earthquake inside” her character, allowing her to express contradictory feelings and a range of emotions.
Real-world parallels and production challenges
Kreutzer stated that she began working on the project in 2020 after reading a German newspaper article about a criminal ring uncovered in Germany. The production shared an unintended parallel with Kreutzer’s 2022 film Corsage, starring Florian Teichtmeister, who was arrested and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography the year following its release. Kreutzer recounted that when the news broke, she initially thought she could no longer make Gentle Monster, but later decided the situation gave her more reason to confront the issue rather than run away from it.
Discussing the practical challenges of the shoot, Seydoux highlighted speaking German and performing the concert sequences. Kreutzer noted that filming the large concert scene proved difficult because of her intuitive directing style, which avoids rigid shot planning and technical marks for actors. She also recalled a challenging day when Seydoux, who does not drive, had to reverse a car with a child in the back seat.
Netflix acquired the film as the Cannes Film Festival concluded in May. It is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on October 30 before premiering on the streaming platform on November 18. Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz serve as producers.
