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Bertrand Bonello

Bertrand Bonello

Director, writer, composer, actor and producer · Born September 11, 1968 (58) · Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Cannes award winner · Venice award nominee · Berlinale award winner

Bertrand Bonello (born 11 September 1968) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer, and composer. His background is in the field of classical music, and he lives between Paris, and Montreal. His work has often been associated with the New French Extremity. His film House of Tolerance, a depiction of daily life in a fin-de-siècle Parisian bordello, premiered in competition at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. His 2014 film Saint Laurent competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as France's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Bertrand Bonello, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 11, 1968 (58)
From
Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Works as
Director, writer, composer, actor and producer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 43% in 30 days

What are Bertrand Bonello's films like?

Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
36%
Society
15%
Power
14%
Bonds
13%
Survival
10%
Ideas
10%
Morality
3%
Identity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 5

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

Full focus: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their full focus movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 6

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 6

Ambiguous: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their ambiguous movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 7

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Dread
6
Tense
6
Contemplative
7
Melancholic
5
Bittersweet
2
Other
4

How their films linger

Thought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous4
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Bertrand Bonello's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Bertrand Bonello's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

35 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Europe's New Faces (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

    Composer

  • Planet B(2024)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • The Beast(2023)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer · as Réalisateur fond vert (voice)

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Transfigured – 12 Lives of Schoenberg (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Stage Director

  • Body of Crime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • The Dam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Writer

  • Coma(2022)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Titane(2021)

    as Alexia's Father

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Où en êtes-vous? (Numéro 2) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Director · Writer

  • Zombi Child(2019)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Konbini Vidéo Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Nocturama(2016)

    Director · Co-Producer · Composer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Sarah Winchester: Ghost Opera (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer

  • Rouge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    as Bertrand

  • Portrait of the Artist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Composer · as Bertrand

  • Madeleine d'entre les Morts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer

  • Saint Laurent(2014)

    Director · Co-Writer · Composer · as Journalist Libé

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Where Are You, Bertrand Bonello? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director · Writer · Actor

  • Ingrid Caven: Music and Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • House of Tolerance(2011)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Still Photographer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Where the Boys Are (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Writer

  • On War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director · Composer · Executive Producer · Screenplay

  • My New Picture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Writer

  • Making-of : "We Should Not Exist" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Actor

  • We Should Not Exist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Actor

  • Cindy, the Doll Is Mine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Writer

  • Grand Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • The Bridge of Arts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    as Un spectateur du Nô

  • Tiresia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Composer · Writer

  • The Pornographer(2001)

    Director · Composer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Something Organic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Composer · Writer

  • The Adventures of James and David (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Composer · Writer

  • Qui je suis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director · Writer · as Pylade

  • Le bus d’Alice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Director · Composer · Writer

  • Santo Subito! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Composer · Producer · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles, 34 of them dated from 1995 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Titane (2021)

$5M worldwide

Highest rated

House of Tolerance (2011)

Midcredits 75th

Most popular right now

The Beast (2023)

Film career

  • 2004Screen debut· The Bridge of Arts

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting12 of 35: 7 only acting, 5 with another roleDirecting23 of 35: 1 only directing, 22 with another role · typical Midcredits score49thWriting22 of 35: 1 only writing, 21 with another role · typical Midcredits score49thProducing9 of 35: 0 only producing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score64thMusic19 of 35: 3 only music, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thOther crew2 of 35: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

35 titles, 23 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 21 of them.

By decade

1990s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew2000s10 · 3 acting · 7 crew2010s11 · 5 acting · 9 crew2020s9 · 3 acting · 7 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

2 major awards from 11 major nominations, 2001–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Venice award, nominated · Best Film
  2. 2022
    • Berlinale award, won · Encounters
    • Berlinale award, nominated
  3. 2019
    • Cannes award, nominated
  4. 2014
    • Cannes award, nominated ×2
  5. 2011
    • Cannes award, nominated
  6. 2008
    • Cannes award, nominated · Directors' Fortnight
    • Cannes award, nominated
  7. 2003
    • Cannes award, nominated
  8. 2001
    • Cannes award, won · International Critics Week

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Bertrand Bonello's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 9 titles are Mixed.

  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director, writer, composer

The Pornographer (2001)

54th percentile spread · 31% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer, composer

House of Tolerance (2011)

Midcredits 75th · 61% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 75/100 and the pacing 29/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Bertrand Bonello's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 68 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles42–77 · median 70 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 47 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 59 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 70 · intenseMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Bertrand Bonello work with?

People who share at least 2 of Bertrand Bonello's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Olivier Père shares the most, 4.

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers