Two generations of French stars are set to make beautiful music together in Gentle Monster. Léa Seydoux and Catherine Deneuve headline writer-director Marie Kreutzer’s new film, which premiered among the competition titles at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in May.
Acquired by Netflix following its Croisette launch, Gentle Monster is continuing its festival journey with screenings at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The awards hopeful then opens in limited release on Oct. 30, followed by a streaming debut on Nov. 18 in the thick of awards season.
An evocative first trailer for the film debuted today, featuring Seydoux and Deneuve sharing scenes together for the first time in their respective careers. Scored to a rendition of the Charles & Eddie tune, “Would I Lie to You,” the minute-and-a-half long trailer teases the central drama at the heart of the story, which finds Seydoux’s pianist thrown into personal and professional turmoil after her husband is suspected of a monstrous act.
Watch the trailer above and read on for everything else you need to know about Gentle Monster.
The plot
Here’s Netflix’s official logline for the film: “When a police raid shatters her life, concert pianist Lucy (Léa Seydoux) must protect her son and confront how little she knows her husband after he is accused of an unspeakable crime in this tense thriller about trust and survival.”
The cast and creative team
Besides Deneuve and Seydoux, the Gentle Monster cast includes Jella Haase and Laurence Rupp. Behind the camera, Kreutzer is joined by producers Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz; director of photography Judith Kaufmann; editor Ulrike Kofler; music by Camille; production designer Myrna Wolf; and costume designer Monika Buttinger.
The awards prospects
Premiering to mixed reactions at Cannes, Gentle Monster is one of two films that Seydoux will be traveling the awards circuit for this season — the other being The Unknown from director Arthur Harari. Even though critics were split on Kreutzer’s film, the actress’s performance was generally praised, and she benefits from a wide-open Best Actress field. Seydoux is still seeking her first Oscar nomination since breaking onto the international A-list in 2013 for Blue is the Warmest Color. Deneuve was previously nominated for Best Actress in 1992 for her star turn in Indochine; this would be her first Best Supporting Actress bid.
The release date
Gentle Monster premieres Oct. 30 in theaters and Nov. 18 on Netflix.
