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A fading star and a dying chef cook up something stranger than romance in Paris.
TMDB
50
IMDb
59
Rotten Tomatoes
35
Audience Score
35
Google
82

The Idol (2002)

uncomfortably intimateslow-burn weirdcult oddity

Overview

DramaRomance

An Australian actress forms a spiritual bond with an elderly Chinese chef who lives across from her in a Parisian tenement house.

Flag of FRFRFrench
Content warning
woman directorsuicide thoughts

Standout Aspects

Acting

James Hong brings heartbreaking dignity to an absurd premise.

Direction

Lang's clinical gaze makes intimacy feel invasive and wrong.

Best for:Solo: Late night when you want to feel unsettled and contemplate your life choices.·Streaming: When your algorithm has gone completely off the rails.
Heads up:Triggers: Depiction of suicidal ideation and self-harm imagery.·Sexual Content: Uncomfortable age-gap tension played for psychological horror, not titillation.
Samantha Lang

Director

Samantha Lang

ReleasedAug 6, 2002
Runtime1h 50m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Paceslow
Intensitymedium
Tonedark
Feelheavy
ARTE France Cinéma
Eurospace

Top Cast

James Hong

James Hong

Zao

Leelee Sobieski

Leelee Sobieski

Sara Silver

Jean-Paul Roussillon

Jean-Paul Roussillon

Roger Castellac

Jalil Lespert

Jalil Lespert

Philippe

Liliane Montevecchi

Liliane Montevecchi

Nicole

Liliane Rovère

Liliane Rovère

Gilberte

Rémy Roubakha

Rémy Roubakha

Le Taxi

Esse Lawson

Esse Lawson

La femme-flic

Olivier Augrond

Olivier Augrond

Le pompier

Ask about The Idol

Opens AI chat

Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

This was Samantha Lang's follow-up to her acclaimed debut 'The Well,' and critics were... confused. The 4.5 TMDB score isn't lying.

Cultural

James Hong has 600+ credits but this might be his most inexplicable leading role—he reportedly took it for the Paris location shoot.

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