Marie Kreutzer’s “Gentle Monster” was one of the breakout titles at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it played in competition. Now the film will be in theaters on Oct. 30 and on Netflix on Nov. 18. Ahead of its special screening at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Netflix has dropped the first teaser for the hot-button thriller. You can watch it below.
In “Gentle Monster” the always great Léa Seydoux plays Lucy, a concert pianist whose life unravels after the police raid the home she shares with her partner and their young son. According to the official Netflix synopsis, her husband is “accused of an unspeakable crime in this tense thriller about trust and survival.” Lucy’s story apparently runs parallel to the story of one of the police officers investigating the case (Jella Haase), whose father is suffering from dementia and who might have similar proclivities.
When the film premiered at Cannes it was warmly reviewed. Our own critic called it a “chilling, emotional drama” and said that writer/director Kreutzer (“Corsage”) “tacks so forcefully toward sensitivity over sensationalism that even those — and hopefully most — who have never confronted such circumstances can still recognize their own questions echoing throughout.”
“Gentle Monster” also stars Laurence Rupp and Catherine Deneuve, with original music by Camille, who won an Oscar for one of the songs from “Emilia Pérez.” (Seydoux can be heard belting out a version of Charles & Eddie’s 1992 neo-soul single “Would I Lie to You?” in the trailer.) The film is a co-production between Austria, Germany and France. Following its Cannes premiere, Netflix acquired distribution rights for North America, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Seydoux has had a busy 2026 — she also starred in “The Unknown,” which played in competition at Cannes; co-stars in “Alpha Gang,” the latest bizarro treat from David and Nathan Zellner, alongside Cate Blanchett, Chris Pine and Dave Bautista, which is set to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival; and filmed A24’s “The Masque of the Red Death” with Mikey Madison, which is set for release in 2027.
“Gentle Monster” arrives in select theaters on Oct. 30 before arriving on Netflix on Nov. 18.
