There’s often a startling realization that a person’s partner might not be who you thought they were. A Prince of the realm turns out to be a drug addled half-wit or a failing bit part actress reveals herself to be a boss eyed narcissistic talent vacuum. It’s not quite that way for Lucy (Lea Seydoux) in fact its far worse that her husband could be the gentle monster of the title.
Lucy is a French musician whose niche seems to be experimental deconstructed versions of famous hit songs and in terms of the films theme it turns out to be intentionally ironic that she sings versions of, ‘Would you lie to me?’ and ‘Boys Don’t Cry’. Unfortunately her version of these songs is the irritating trend of slowing them right down to a funereal pace that started all the way back in 2003 with Gary Jukes albeit excellent melancholic cover of ‘Mad World’. Since then the slowing down of upbeat hits have seen covers of everything although oddly no one has done that with The Prodigy’s ‘Smack my Bitch Up’ .…but we digress.
A gentle monster is uncovered…
Having relocated to the countryside with her husband film director Philip (Laurence Rupp) and their young son their idyllic and far calmer lifestyle benefits its him especially having had a breakdown from overwork. It all comes to a crashing end when police arrive at their door one morning led by Munich police detective Else (Jella Haase) with a search warrant that sees them seize all their electronic devices or more specifically Phillip’s electronic devices. What unfolds is an investigation into his involvement with sexual images of children. It’s an understandable gut punch to Lucy and the man she thought she knew and understandably takes herself and their son away to live with her mother (a cameo from Catherine Deneuve).
Lucy is not the only one with a troublesome man in her life because Else, who is committed to her job but at the expense of caring for her ailing father who lives with her but has a dedicated female careworker who is at the end of their tether with him.
There are excellent performances at the centre of this – Lea Seydoux especially who is one of those rare actresses who has escaped the confines of being known as a Bond girl in a series of subsequent films since Daniel Craig’s era ended proving that she is far more than that. Equally good is Jella Haase as a dedicated cop and Laurence Rupp as a story spinning excuse maker of a husband. As might be expected with such a topic Gentle Monster is not an easy watch but focuses more on those impacted by the investigation than those responsible which is just as relevant as those that perpetrate such bleak and devastating an offence.
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Here’s the trailer….
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