TIFF 2026 Review: Gentle Monster

Gentle Monster : A Disturbing Look at Love and Denial

What would you do if you discovered that someone you love might not be the person you thought they were? That’s the uncomfortable question at the heart of Gentle Monster, a psychological drama directed by Marie Kreutzer and starring Léa Seydoux and Laurence Rupp. The film follows Lucy (Léa Seydoux), whose seemingly ordinary family life falls apart when her husband, Philip (Laurence Rupp), is arrested in connection with child sexual abuse material. Suddenly, she’s forced to question everything she thought she knew about the man she loves.

What I found most interesting about Gentle Monster was how it explored the psychological complexity of Lucy’s situation. There were so many moments when I wanted to tell her, “Just leave him!” But at the same time, the film makes you realize how difficult that decision can feel when you’ve built an entire life with someone you love and trust. Lucy struggles to accept that the man she’s known as a loving husband and father could be capable of something so disturbing. And while her denial was frustrating to watch, I also found it fascinating. Léa Seydoux delivers a compelling performance, capturing that emotional conflict between wanting to believe someone you love and confronting a reality you desperately wish wasn’t true.

Gentle Monster is an unsettling, thought-provoking film that explores love, denial and how difficult it can be to accept the truth about someone closest to you. What stayed with me most was the moral dilemma it presents. It’s easy to think you know exactly what you’d do in that situation, but the film makes you question whether the answer would really be that simple. It’s not an easy watch, but if you enjoy psychological dramas that explore complicated human relationships, Gentle Monster is worth checking out.

Check out the trailer for Gentle Monster below

Gentle Monster has a limited theatreical release October 30, 2026 (in select US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand theaters) and Netflix Streaming Release date on Novemeber 18th, 2026