Cannes entry 'Gentle Monster' tackles taboo with no easy answer, says director
The film 'Gentle Monster' directed by Marie Kreutzer addresses the complex issues surrounding child sexual abuse without providing easy answers. It follows Lucy, a musician whose husband is arrested for trading child sexual abuse images, prompting her to seek the truth about him and their family. The film aims to provoke societal questions rather than offer solutions, reflecting Kreutzer's inspiration from real-life events.
- ▪The film is a family drama centered on the fallout from an investigation into child sexual abuse images.
- ▪Director Marie Kreutzer noted the challenges of addressing such a taboo subject in her film.
- ▪'Gentle Monster' is competing for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival against 21 other films.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Cannes entry 'Gentle Monster' tackles taboo with no easy answer, says directorSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPublished May 16, 2026, 11:03 PMUpdated May 16, 2026, 11:03 PMCANNES, France, May 16 - Austrian director Marie Kreutzer recalled on Saturday it was difficult to make her Cannes Film Festival entry "Gentle Monster," a family drama about the fallout from an investigation into child sexual abuse images that offers no easy answers."I could feel that everywhere, when I went somewhere with the project, people were like, shying away," Kreutzer told journalists a day after the film premiere. "I knew this was not the easy path."The film does not offer solutions, she said, but is meant to pose questions.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Straits Times — World.