The Exterminating Angels

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
FrenchLes Anges exterminateurs
Directed byJean-Claude Brisseau
Written byJean-Claude Brisseau
Produced by
  • Milena Poylo
  • Gilles Sacuto
Starring
  • Frédéric van den Driessche
  • Maroussia Dubreuil
  • Lise Bellynck
  • Marie Allan
CinematographyWilfrid Sempé
Edited byMaría Luisa García
Music byJean Musy
Production
companies
  • La Sorcière Rouge
  • TS Productions
Distributed byRézo Films
Release dates
  • 20 May 2006 (2006-05-20) (Cannes)
  • 13 September 2006 (2006-09-13) (France)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
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
  • 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

On 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. 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
  1. "The Exterminating Angels (2006)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  2. Burr, Ty (16 March 2007). "As eroticism, 'Angels' doesn't fly". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 11 November 2008.
  3. Agence France-Presse. "Jean-Claude Brisseau, soupçonné de viols, a été entendu comme "témoin assisté"". Libération (in French). Retrieved 13 February 2022.
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