Overview
- La Frappe opened in French cinemas on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, after a festival run that raised its profile ahead of release.
- The film is the first feature from Julien Gaspar-Oliveri and draws on his personal experience to explore long-term psychological and relational consequences of father–child sexual abuse.
- La Frappe screened in the Semaine de la Critique at Cannes and won prizes at the Festival du film francophone d’Angoulême for direction and for Diego Murgia’s performance.
- Production faced hesitancy from potential funders and casting reluctance because of the taboo subject; Bastien Bouillon joined late in casting and the director intentionally kept lead actors apart before filming to preserve on-screen distance.
- Critics highlight the film’s restrained, close-up style that avoids naming the abuse explicitly, and they single out the performances of Bouillon, Diego Murgia, and Romane Fringeli for conveying trauma through silence and look rather than exposition.