Unveiled out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2026, The Object of the Offense hits French cinemas on May 27, 2026. Agnès Jaoui signs a drama-comedy set behind the scenes of a production of The Figaro's Wedding, starring Daniel Auteuil and Eye Haïdara.
The Object of the Offense
Film | 2026
In cinemas: May 27, 2026
Dramedy | Running time: 2h13
Directed by Agnès Jaoui | Screenplay by Agnès Jaoui
Starring Agnès Jaoui, Daniel Auteuil, Eye Haïdara
Nationality: France
The film was unveiled in the official selection of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, out of competition. This Cannes moment signals Agnès Jaoui’s return behind the camera, more than twenty years after she won the Best Screenplay Award with Jean-Pierre Bacri for Like a Picture.
In L’Objet du délit, a troupe is mounting an ambitious staging of The Marriage of Figaro. The project’s balance is upended when a sexual assault accusation surfaces within the production. The characters must choose sides, navigating generational rifts, power dynamics, and disagreements over how to respond to the crisis.
The choice of opera is more than just a backdrop. Agnès Jaoui ties the film to her long‑standing interest in opera, already evident in her career as a singer and as a stage director. The Noces de Figaro, a work saturated with class dynamics and power relations, lets the story examine gender equality, the lingering reflexes of patriarchy, and the differences that can exist within a single collective.
The writing also marks a turning point for the director, who collaborated with several screenwriters after Jean-Pierre Bacri’s passing: Emmanuel Salinger, Noé Debré, Florence Seyvos, and Laurent Jaoui. The additional music is by Fernando Fiszbein, in dialogue with Mozart’s world.
Trailer for The Object of the Crime:
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