Joey Magidson
I love getting to see the supremely talented Léa Seydoux get a leading role. Even more so, when she’s given a challenging one. That’s certainly the case with Gentle Monster, a dark drama that starts with an unsettling premise and goes from there. Unfortunately, while Seydoux is great, the movie is not. It’s a first draft of a more complete work, at best. Playing at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s Seydoux or bust for this one.
Gentle Monster has Seydoux giving her all, though the movie doesn’t meet her halfway. It’s a flick that seems content to only wave at the issues it brings up, as opposed to actually exploring them. There’s also a truly unnecessary subplot here that kneecaps investment in the central story. It all adds up to a product that can’t help but feel like a performance in search of a film.
Renowned pianist Lucy Weiss (Seydoux) deconstructs pop songs with classic instruments. Her husband Philip Weiss (Laurence Rupp) is a documentary filmmaker. After his nervous breakdown, they’ve left Munich for the countryside, along with their nine year old son Johnny (Malo Blanchet). Life appears to be good, though that illusion is about to be shattered.
One day, the police arrive, and in particular, the sex crimes unit. Led by Else Kühn (Jella Haase), the take Phillip’s digital devices, as well as arresting him. He’s being accused of owning and distributing child pornography. Initially, Lucy is protective of her husband, though his changing story and Else’s investigation cause her to waver. As she considers whether their son Johnny might have been abused, any semblance of protection goes out the window.
Léa Seydoux is terrific here, doing her best to drag this film across the finish line. Seydoux is always a compelling actress, and here she has as internal a role as she’s ever had, which she’s more than up to. Her evolution from thinking about her husband to worrying about her son is very believable. Laurence Rupp, a least initially, does a solid job in giving you pause as to whether he’s a pedophile or not. As for Jella Haase, she’s doing good work, though her aspect of the story falls short. In addition to Malo Blanchet, the supporting cast includes Catherine Deneuve and Sylvester Groth, who stand out in small roles.
Filmmaker Marie Kreutzer has a compelling premise here, though never digs deep enough. Kreutzer makes a strong decision in having Lucy play pop music on her piano. It becomes hypnotic in her deconstruction of these tunes. At the same time, one of her bit missteps is to have the police officer subplot be nearly a 50/50 split with the main story. It’s a hat on a hat, in addition to not being nearly as interesting. Kreutzer should have kept the focus on Seydoux, plain and simple.
Gentle Monster falls short of the mark, though Léa Seydoux is obviously the best part. If you see this one, you’re seeing it for her, and she’s nearly good enough to make it worthwhile. For me? I couldn’t help but want more from this one. So far, it’s the TIFF film I’ve responded to least this year, unfortunately.
SCORE: ★★1/2
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