Seydoux and Kreutzer unpack Gentle Monster at Contenders London
Léa Seydoux called the central shock of Gentle Monster "an earthquake inside" her character.
The actor and director Marie Kreutzer discussed the film on stage at Deadline's Contenders London event on October 10 at the Ham Yard Hotel, in a conversation reported by Deadline.
Seydoux plays Lucy, an experimental pianist. Laurence Rupp plays Philip, her husband. The couple move with their young son to a rural farmhouse in Bavaria. The move is meant as a fresh start.
The story turns when police seize Philip's device. Jella Haase plays Detective Kühn, who leads the unit. Officers find thousands of child pornography images. Philip's double life is exposed.
Catherine Deneuve plays Lucy's mother. The film follows Lucy as she confronts what the discovery means for her marriage and family.
Seydoux said the practical work was demanding. Speaking German throughout and performing concert scenes at the piano were among the hardest parts. She does not come from classical piano. Each concert sequence required long preparation.
Kreutzer, an Austrian director, said she began work on Gentle Monster in 2020. The starting point was a German newspaper article about a criminal ring uncovered in Germany. She developed the story as a portrait of a wife facing knowledge she had not looked for.
The project followed Kreutzer's 2022 film Corsage, starring Vicky Krieps and Florian Teichtmeister. Teichtmeister later pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography involving 76,000 files spread over 22 devices, according to Deadline.
Gentle Monster was selected in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival, the festival's main contest section. Netflix acquired the film as Cannes was wrapping up in May. It was also programmed as part of BFI London Film Festival 2026.
Netflix will open the film on October 30 in limited release, meaning selected cinemas only, before streaming starts on November 18. Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz are the producers.
For viewers, this means a short cinema window first. The film reaches theatres at the end of October, then becomes widely available on streaming in mid-November.
