In a Glass Cage

Loosely based on the life of Gilles de Rais, a French nobleman who fought alongside Joan of Arc and entered the annals of history for his battlefield valour but also for brutally murdering children, Villaronga’s controversial film portrays a similar ‘human monster’, a Nazi criminal and paedophile paralyzed after a failed suicide attempt whose former victim becomes his caretaker. In a Glass Cage sparked outrage after its release because of its bold scenes involving underage actors forcing the director to explain there was always a child psychologist on the set and all shocking scenes were the result of a clever montage. Information appears at the end of the film explaining that none of the young actors were witness to anything harmful.