Its premise explicitly frames human behavior as animalistic, with vengeance as a natural impulse and most crimes unpunished, offering no critique of patriarchy, systemic oppression, or traditional norms. The cast features Monica Bellucci as the victim Alex, Vincent Cassel as her lover Marcus, and Albert Dupontel as ex-boyfriend Pierre in roles that align with the story's French urban setting and character dynamics, with no race, gender, or sexuality alterations to established figures. Director Gaspar Noé's approach emphasizes nihilism, graphic violence, and the irreversibility of trauma through extreme stylistic choices like long takes and disorienting camerawork, without any activist framing or identity-based subplots.