Marie Kreutzer’s Gentle Monster examines a powerful and unfortunately timely (in the computer age) subject. The revelation that a loved one is capable of the most vile acts could throw anyone off their emotional axis. Léa Seydoux’s devastating portrayal of a wife whose husband is investigated for child pornography rises above a screenplay that only skims the surface regarding the life-altering effects of such a dramatic disorientation of the soul.
Seydoux plays Lucy Weiss, a concert pianist who transforms pop songs (from male songwriters) into quieter and more somber piano pieces. Lucy explains her belief that men reveal their true selves in a song stronger than in their actual lives; a theme that will resonate as the film’s plot is set into motion. French singer-songwriter Camille composes the score and arranges the melodic piano versions of the chosen popular songs.
Lucy’s theory is an interesting one, but Marie Kreutzer’s script is too obvious with the hits it chooses. “Would I Lie to You?” is more than a bit on the symbolic nose.
Lucy’s husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) and their young son Johnny (Malo Blanchet), have purchased a home in Austria, after recently leaving Paris. Phillip’s mental breakdown (due to his overwhelming work as a filmmaker) led them to the hopeful serenity of the countryside. Perhaps peace and quiet will quell whatever haunts the troubled Phillip.
The film spends only a spec of time setting up the family’s deceptive tranquility. Lucy works at her piano. Their son roams around the house as any young grade school-aged boy will do. Phillip seems to be a good husband and attentive father. Life may not be perfect (in the air, something is certainly “off”) but things are quiet. Until the morning when the police come to the door with a warrant to confiscate Phillip’s computers and phones. The authorities take him to the station, as he is being investigated for distribution of child porn. Immediately, Lucy’s life is in a tailspin.
Jella Haase enters the film as Elsa Kühn, the detective heading the investigation. Elsa is a stern woman who pulls no punches when explaining the facts to Lucy regarding why they are arresting Phillip. She wants this woman to know what her husband has done. Her distaste for predatory men is examined in the picture’s side story. Elsa cares for her dementia-afflicted father (Sylvester Groth). Stretching her police salary, Elsa has hired a live-in nurse Natalia (Patrycja Ziółkowska), as it would be impossible to tackle her father’s care while having a full time career in the police department.
Finding her personal life hitting a too-close-for-comfort parallel, Natalia accuses Elsa’s father of continuing unwanted sexual advances. A sex crimes detective who (one would assume) lives by the “always believe the victim” code, Elsa ignores the seriousness of Natalia’s accusations; going so far as to bribe the nurse.
Such platitudes are interesting and open up what could have been relegated to a one-note story. Through Elsa’s story, Gentle Monster widens its narrative to explore the pain of the most unimaginable betrayals.
Lucy’s need to know Elsa is an off-putting but welcome addition that connects the two women through their upended lives. Haas is quite good; bringing something deeper to the well worn character of the cold, work-horse cop whose personal life suffers due to career dedication.
Both Seydoux and Haase navigate the many layers of their respective characters, as each actor delivers devastatingly effective work. Whatever the screenplay’s demerits, there is no questioning the impact of their performances.
Catherine Deneuve makes an appearance as Lucy’s mother. While her daughter tries to (briefly) rationalize what has transpired, Mom is there to comfort and lend decades of wisdom. Unfortunately, Deneuve isn’t allowed much of an impact beyond the presence of such a legendary actor. Her time is short and her character is underwritten.
Despite certain flaws, a good amount of Kreutzer’s film works, but ultimately succeeds due to the strong performances from Léa Seydoux and Jella Haase. Lucy’s immediate anger, then sadness, then her attempt to rationalize what has happened are devastatingly human. The drama is there and the desire of a film to present all sides of a subject so disturbing is commendable. It is the occasionally unfocused presentation that dampens some of the picture’s impact.
The screenplay never fully explains Lucy’s desire to get into Elsa’s head, nor does it take a stronger look into the effects on the couple’s son. There are moments (which I cannot reveal) where the film moves its focus to the young boy, but the script’s untapped impact fails the character.
The filmmaker stated how the project was created in the wake of certain real life situations. In 2023, actor Florian Teichtmeister (co-star of Kreutzer’s 2023 film, Corsage) was charged with possession of pornography involving minors. The scandal rocked Austria and Kreutzer. At first, it was only rumors and the director defended her co-lead by claiming no charges had been revealed. Eventually, Kreutzer’s reversal to full condemnation of the actor’s crimes was met with mixed reactions.
It is in the wave of Lucy’s battling emotions where the film finds parallels to Marie Kreutzer’s true life experience. How can one accept the monster inside someone we care about or with whom we have shared a portion of our life? Be it a spouse or a respected colleague or friend, the damning blow to our psyche is unimaginable.
Gentle Monster is not a dramatization of those events, but a work born of their lasting effects.
Gentle Monster
Written & Directed by Marie Kreutzer
Starring Léa Seydoux, Jella Haase, Laurence Rupp, Catherine Deneuve, Anton Rubtsov, Nils Strunk, Sylvester Groth, Patrycja Ziółkowska, Regina Fritsch
R, 114 Minutes, Netflix, Film AG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZNH5XSIgD4