''Consent'' () is a 2023 biographical drama film directed by Vanessa Filho, from a screenplay co-written by Filho, Vanessa Springora, and François Pirot, based on Springora's 2020 best-selling memoir of the same title describing the sexual abuse she experienced beginning at age 14 from author

Gabriel Matzneff Gabriel Michel Hippolyte Matzneff (born 12 August 1936) is a French writer and pedophile. He was the winner of the Mottard and Amic awards from the Académie française in 1987 and 2009 respectively, the Prix Renaudot, Prix Renaudot essay in 201 ...

, then 49. It stars Kim Higelin,

Jean-Paul Rouve Jean-Paul Rouve (; born 26 January 1967) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. He is a founding member of the Les Robins des Bois comedy troupe, active from 1996 onwards. He has appeared in over 70 film and television pro ...

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

, and

Élodie Bouchez Élodie Bouchez (born 5 April 1973) is a French actress. She became internationally known for her role as Renée Rienne on the fifth and final season of the television show '' Alias'' and for playing Maïté Alvarez in the film '' Wild Reeds''. ...

. The film is a co-production between France and Belgium. It was released theatrically in France by Pan Distribution and in Belgium by Anga Distribution on 11 October 2023. The film received two nominations at the

2024 César Awards 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

, Best Adaptation and Best Female Revelation.

Plot

Vanessa Springora was 14 when she was groomed by Gabriel Matzneff, becoming his muse and victim. After experiences with a troubled home life, Vanessa loses herself under Matzneff's destructive control.

Cast

* as Vanessa Springora *

Laetitia Casta Laetitia Marie Laure Casta (; born 11 May 1978)FMD profile
Retrieved 4 December 2009. is a ...

as Vanessa's mother *

as Vanessa Springora in 2013 * Jean Chevalier as Youri *

Lolita Chammah Lolita Chammah (born 1 October 1983) is a French actress. Background Chammah is the daughter of Ronald Chammah (of Syrian Jewish origin), and Isabelle Huppert. She grew up in Paris and had her first roles during childhood. Lolita Chammah has ...

as the best friend of Vanessa's mother * David Clavel as Michel *

Agathe Dronne Agathe Dronne is a French actress and film director. Career Her credits include roles in more than 20 films and 10 TV projects, as well as multiple theatre performances. She presented her short ''La Vallée des larmes'' at 2013 Conti Film Fe ...

as Christiane * Christophe Grégoire as Bernard * Doby Broda as Muriel * Irène Ismaïloff as the concierge *

Annie Mercier Annie Mercier is a French film and theatrical actress who received two nominations at the ''Molière Award for Best Supporting Actress'' in 2009 for her role in ''Tartuffe'' and in 2019, for her role in ''Thyestes In Greek mythology, Thyeste ...

as The doctor * Anne Loiret as the Latin teacher * Lilas-Rose Gilberti as Camille * Tanguy Mercier as Julien * Selma Tamiatto as Clothilde * Lou-Ann Trabaud as Agnès * Héloïse Bresc as Audrey * Eloi Léger as Nico * Ferdinand Redouloux as Corentin * Manon Le Bail as Eva * Donovan Fouassier as Olivier * Raphael Romand as Ronnie * Victor Fruhinsholz as Samuel * Noam Morgensztern as Jean-Didier Wolfromm * Félicien Juttner as the lover of Vanessa's mother * Marie-Christine Letort as Isabelle * Christophe Kourotchkine as Éric * Alain Fromager as Alain * Sébastien Pouderoux as Vanessa's father * Miglen Mirtchev as

Emil Cioran Emil Mihai Cioran (; ; ; 8 April 1911 – 20 June 1995) was a Romanian philosopher, aphorist and essayist, who published works in both Romanian and French. His work has been noted for its pervasive philosophical pessimism, style, and aphorism ...

* Françoise Gazio as Simone Boué *

Anne Benoît Anne Benoît is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 film and television productions since 1981. Career Benoît was trained at the Conservatoire de Versailles, under the direction of Marcelle Tassencourt. She later attended the Ta ...

as the French teacher

Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on 16 May 2022 and wrapped on 30 June 2022.

Release

The film was released theatrically in France by Pan Distribution and in Belgium by Anga Distribution on 11 October 2023.

Reception

Critical response

AlloCiné AlloCiné is an entertainment website founded by Jean-David Blanc in 1988, then joined by Patrick Holzman. It has belonged to the company since 2013 Webedia. which specializes in providing information on French cinema, mostly centering on nove ...

, a French cinema site, gave the film an average rating of 3.0/5, based on a survey of 33 French reviews.

Box office

The film debuted at number 10 at the French box office, selling 59,266 admissions from 195 theaters. After

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

users shared their experiences after watching the film on the platform, with some videos reaching nearly 2 million views, the film's box office had a boost in its second week, selling 141,848 admissions from 216 theaters and passing the 300,000 admissions mark on 2 November 2023. The film was released to 460 theaters in its fifth weekend and ranked at number nine at the French box office. As of January 2024, the film has sold over 600,000 admissions in France and has grossed $4,6 million worldwide.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten Tomatoes 2023 films 2023 biographical drama films 2020s Belgian films 2020s French films 2020s French-language films 2023 independent films French-language Belgian films French films based on actual events Belgian films based on actual events French biographical drama films Belgian biographical drama films Films based on French novels Films about child sexual abuse