The Exterminating Angels (French: Les Anges exterminateurs) is a 2006 French erotic drama film written and directed by Jean-Claude Brisseau. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2006 and received a limited release in the United States on 7 March 2007. The film is about a director named François who embarks on a film project about female eroticism. He meets three struggling actresses who perform sexual acts in front of him. What François does not realise is that there is a lot more going on in the girls' heads than other parts and this leads to tragic consequences.
| The Exterminating Angels | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Les Anges exterminateurs |
| Directed by | Jean-Claude Brisseau |
| Written by | Jean-Claude Brisseau |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Wilfrid Sempé |
| Edited by | María Luisa García |
| Music by | Jean Musy |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Rézo Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $154,210[1] |
The film is semi-autobiographical; in 2002, director Brisseau had been arrested on charges of harassment, fined and given a suspended one-year prison sentence. The plaintiffs were three women who had performed sexual acts in front of him during their audition.[2]
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Jean Musy.
Cast
edit- Frédéric van den Driessche as François
- Maroussia Dubreuil as Charlotte
- Lise Bellynck as Julie
- Marie Allan as Stéphanie
- Raphaële Godin as Apparition 1 / Rebecca
- Margaret Zenou as Apparition 2
- Sophie Bonnet as Nathalie
- Jeanne Cellard as the grandmother
- Virginie Legeay as Virginie
- Estelle Galarme as Olivia
- Marine Danaux as Agnès
- Apolline Louis as Céline
- François Négret as Stéphanie's friend
Production
editOn 31 October 2007, two actresses, one of whom stars in The Exterminating Angels, accused Brisseau of rape, sexual assault and harassment for a period from August 2005 to September 2007. Marie Allan, then aged 29, accused the director of having abused her during erotic "castings", carried out face to face and without a camera, in public places or at Brisseau's home. According to her, Brisseau would have promised a leading role in one of his films and asked for that to work these intimate scenes. The same accusations came from another actress, then aged 21, who said she suffered a "digital" rape by the filmmaker. Brisseau only admitted to having had a consensual sexual relationship with the first actress. A judicial investigation was opened, the man was heard as an assisted witness, but the procedure was abandoned for lack of evidence to establish "non-consent".[3]
References
edit- ^ "The Exterminating Angels (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
- ^ Burr, Ty (16 March 2007). "As eroticism, 'Angels' doesn't fly". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
- ^ Agence France-Presse. "Jean-Claude Brisseau, soupçonné de viols, a été entendu comme "témoin assisté"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 13 February 2022.