What would you do if your spouse was accused of selling and distributing child pornography? Would you stand by their side and defend them? Would you pack up everything and get out of dodge as quickly as you can? Or would you keep yourself at a distance and allow the investigation to go its course? It’s a difficult situation that no person would want to find themselves in. This difficult situation is at the heart of Maria Kreutzer’s Gentle Monsters. While it presents a fascinating scenario and has a great Leo Seydoux performance, it doesn’t bite as hard as it should.
After relocating with her family to the countryside, Lucy (Lea Seydoux, The Beast), a renowned pianist, uncovers a life-shattering truth about her husband Philip (Laurence Rupp, Tank) that forces her to confront the complexities of love, trust and deception.
If there is something that Gentle Monsters will make you feel by the time the credits roll, it would be uncomfortable and unsettled. The accusation of distributing child pornography is a serious one, and Gentle Monsters treats it as such. The moment that the accusation arrives, you feel Lucy’s life completely shatter as a paranoid panic that grips over her like a tsunami. She begins re-examining her relationship with her husband and begins asking questions to anyone who will listen. She examines her son for signs of trauma and does everything in her power to get to the bottom of it. But as the film goes on, secrets and lies begin to reveal themselves in a thriller-like manner, adding to the uncomfortable tension of the film. All of which is anchored by a fantastic performance from Leo Seydoux and Lawrence Rupp.
But when you step away and examine what the film is trying to say, that is when the film starts to become muddled. Throughout the entire run time it felt like the film was holding itself back, refusing to commit to its terrifying premise. When a loved one is accused of a crime as serious as presented in Gentle Monster, you would expect everything in their life to completely shatter. From their relationships with family members to their career, that person would be exiled and anyone defending them would also be exiled. But Gentle Monster doesn’t do any of that. And while the film must be credited for presenting this situation rightfully as “innocent until proven guilty” and we follow every strand of evidence, the film feels safe.
Furthermore, while we do see Lucy perform some investigation and question close family members, for the most part she does nothing to uncover the truth. She is a simple bystander in this story, which doesn’t feel right given the premise. Throughout the film’s nearly two hour long runtime, she should have been doing everything in her power to get to the bottom of this situation. She vaguely asks questions towards her husband, their relatives, and their lawyer. She does some investigating on the internet and looks at the police investigation. But other than that, she does nothing.
For a film presenting such a terrifying, yet intriguing situation, Gentle Monsters is a surprisingly safe film as it refuses to commit to its premise. While I was never bored and was intrigued by the film, I could not help but feel frustrated by its wasted potential. At least Lea Seydoux salvages this film from being so much worse.
My Rating: C+
Gentle Monsters is coming soon to theaters.
Gentle Monsters screening at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
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