A patient, formally daring work — the cinematography lingers on empty rooms longer than most audiences will tolerate, but those who stay are rewarded with the most haunting final act of the year.
The location is the town of El Paris. When ten-year-old boy Quasimodo shows signs of deformity, his well-to-do parents place him in the charge of the town’s mysterious evangelist, Frollo. In exchange, they adopt a Cuban girl, Esméralda, from a lower social class. Ten years later, El Paris is menaced by a serial killer, and Quasimodo is the prime suspect.
Quick Stats
4.6
TMDB Rating
63
Votes
1h 40m
Runtime
—
Budget
—
Box Office
—
Return
Key Crew
DirectorPatrick Timsit
WriterJean-François Halin
CinematographyVincenzo Marano
ComposerLaurent Petitgirard
EditorCatherine Renault
Production DesignCarlos Conti
Produced by
France 3 CinémaHachette PremièreM6 FilmsTPS CinémaCofimage 10CNC
Where to Watch
Streaming
Buy
See more on TMDB → JustWatch
Critics & Reviews
3 featured@celeste_writes
@jhalberg
I walked in expecting another genre exercise and walked out feeling like I'd been eavesdropping on a confession. The lead performance is genuinely singular — a career-defining turn.
@priya_a
A few too many scenes feel borrowed from a better film, but the soundtrack and the production design carry the rest. Solid recommendation for fans of slow-burn European thrillers.
Cast

Patrick Timsit
Quasimodo

Mélanie Thierry
Esméralda

Richard Berry
Serge Frollo

Vincent Elbaz
Phoebus

Didier Flamand
Le Gouverneur d'El Paris

Patrick Braoudé
Pierre-Grégoire

Axelle Abbadie
Mme Le Gouverneur

Dominique Pinon
Trouillefou

Albert Dray
Pablo
F
François Levantal
Le psychopathe

Franck Monier
Marc-Antoine
N
Noëlle Musard
Mme Jackson

Alain Frérot
René
T
Teresa Ovídio
Gudule

Patrick Le Luherne
Diego