musician

It takes frighteningly little to destroy a happy family. So much love, so much joy, so much shared history can be erased by one terrible act or the discovery of something rotten that had been festering undetected. Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer explores the unimaginable in “Gentle Monster,” in which a celebrated concert pianist learns that her husband and the father of her son might be involved in child pornography. Instantly, her life shatters, the pieces so scattered she may never be able to pick them all up.

Léa Seydoux plays Lucy, a musician who brings an element of social commentary to her avant-garde live performances, delivering ethereal covers of emphatic love songs written by men — such as Bryan Adams’ “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” — to interrogate that gender’s general discomfort with emotions. It’s an important early clue into Kreutzer’s larger aims, but first the writer-director establishes Lucy’s endearing rapport with her sensitive husband Philip (Laurence Rupp) and their pre-tween son Johnny (Malo Blanchet). Having recently moved to the German countryside after living in Munich, they’re adjusting to a quieter existence with fewer neighbors but less-reliable cell service. Lucy and Philip’s sex life remains robust and Johnny enjoys the extra outdoor space. Nothing’s ever perfect, but all seems well enough.

Yet when the police arrive unannounced one morning, Philip isn’t surprised. Led by Elsa (Jella Haase), the authorities inform him they need to confiscate his computers and hard drives. He offers no resistance, quickly getting on the phone to his lawyer. Lucy comes downstairs, baffled by what’s going on as he’s taken away. When she later visits the police station to get more information, she’s directed to the second floor. That’s when Lucy realizes the horrible truth: That’s the floor assigned to the crime unit specializing in stopping sexualized violence against children. Philip, the love of her life, has been accused of storing and sharing child pornography.

As Philip awaits trial at home, Lucy processes the shock, too smart to believe this is all some awful misunderstanding. Hurriedly packing a bag, she drives off with Johnny, the two of them moving in with her regal, chilly mother Eloise (Catherine Deneuve), although Lucy does not tell her why she’s left Philip. (The judgy Eloise, herself a musician, smugly assumes that her daughter figured out that having a family is death for an artist.) Philip repeatedly calls Lucy, hoping to explain himself, but she now cannot trust anything he says. Seydoux keeps her character’s storm of emotions intriguingly opaque. Shame, disgust, anger, sadness and confusion equally course through Lucy, who starts wondering about the extent of Philip’s criminality. Did he ever abuse their son?

Kreutzer, whose 2022 drama “Corsage” starred Vicky Krieps as a rebellious 19th century empress, explores Lucy’s odyssey as she grapples with the dawning fact that she long shared a bed with a pedophile. But “Gentle Monster” eventually introduces a parallel storyline involving Elsa, the investigator. When she’s not cracking down on child pornographers — grim work that she nonetheless takes great pride in — she’s minding her aging father, Hermann (Sylvester Groth), who is experiencing severe cognitive decline. His live-in nurse Natalia (Patrycja Ziółkowska) tells Elsa that he tried to sexually assault her, which upsets Elsa but also puts her in a bind: Natalia is the only care worker Hermann has actually gotten along with. Elsa abhors his behavior but she desperately wants Natalia to stay, frantically assuring her that she’ll get him to stop.

Although both plotlines concern predatory men, “Gentle Monster” expands its thematic scope to more broadly discuss the emotional labor that women are forced to perform. Philip’s rich parents insist their son couldn’t have done anything wrong, while Elsa’s absent brother leaves her to figure out what to do about their ailing father. In their own ways, Lucy and Elsa shoulder a significant burden that has been imposed on them by someone they love, their devotion now being exploited. And in both cases, there is a societal expectation that it’s their duty to be a solo support system — Lucy as a mother and wife, Elsa as a daughter. As accomplished as these two women are, ultimately they’re reduced to being nurturers and caregivers.

Unfortunately, much like Lucy’s stilted deconstruction of male love songs, “Gentle Monster” ends up a little too intellectual for its own good, its ideas more interesting to mull over than to feel deeply. In addition, there’s a nagging narrative tidiness to Lucy’s and Elsa’s stories so conveniently echoing each other. And as formidable as Seydoux can be, the character isn’t so much heartbreakingly conflicted as she is oddly muddled and underdeveloped. Kreutzer does not fully succeed in elucidating how women are imperiled by sexual predators — even when they are not the ones directly affected — but her uneven film ripples with pain. Lucy’s behavior may be frustratingly inconsistent, but many viewers will recognize the immeasurable suffering that drives it.

Horror star Mia Goth is ending her marriage to Shia LaBeouf just days short of their 10th wedding anniversary.

Goth, star of Ti West’s “X” trilogy, on Tuesday filed her petition to divorce “Peanut Butter Falcon” and “Honey Boy” actor LaBeouf in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the petition, the estranged spouses married Oct. 10, 2016 but separated in July 2025. The petition confirms reports from earlier this year that the actors were on the outs.

Goth, 32, and LaBeouf, 40, share a 4-year-old daughter born March 2022, according to the petition. Neither representatives for the actors immediately responded on Wednesday to a request for comment.

The “Odyssey” actor filed her petition a day after LaBeouf’s ex-girlfriend FKA twigs brought her latest lawsuit against the former Disney Channel star to a close.

LaBeouf, who had an off-and-on relationship with Goth since their marriage, began dating FKA twigs, legal name Tahliah Barnett, in 2018. Barnett first sued LaBeouf in 2020, claiming she was subjected to frequent episodes of verbal and emotional abuse that escalated into physical assaults by the “Transformers” actor. She also accused LaBeouf of “knowingly infect[ing]” her with a sexually transmitted disease. The exes settled that case with prejudice last year but it returned to a legal spotlight in March.

The Grammy-winning “Eusexua” musician sued LaBeouf, alleging he “sought to silence her” from speaking out about his alleged abuse via an NDA which she claimed violated California law. Barnett on Monday notified the court that she and LaBeouf settled their case, noting that her ex “has agreed that the non-disclosure provisions (NDAs) contained” in the 2025 settlement “are terminated and void.”

LaBeouf faced additional legal turmoil for his arrests in February after his involvement in a Mardi Gras brawl. He pleaded guilty to three counts of simple battery in June.

Goth also faces legal issues. The British star was sued for battery in a 2024 lawsuit that accused her of “intentionally and willfully” assaulting and kicking an actor in the head while filming “Maxxxine” in 2023. Goth was sued alongside director West and movie studio A24. That case is ongoing and a jury trial is scheduled to begin April 17, 2028, according to a court order filed Monday.

A couple of years ago, in a column about Father Greg Boyle, I noted that he is quite particular and even a bit preachy about the right way to eat a steak.

It should be medium rare, never well-done, and served with a proper elixir.

Doors drummer John Densmore took note. One thing led to another, and in July, Densmore, Boyle, former Times reporter Greg Krikorian and I went to dinner at the Smoke House in Burbank.

We did not necessarily follow Boyle’s meat and beverage protocols, but we jabbered away in a red leather booth, and a good time was had by all.

Then, in August, I got an email from Boyle.

“John walks into the Homeboy Art Academy,” he wrote, “and starts jamming as the homies are playing ‘Stand By Me.’”

Boyle sent a short video, and there’s Densmore, still keeping perfect time at 81.

John Densmore enjoys an upbeat moment while teaching a music class at Homeboy Art Academy.

I wasn’t surprised. Densmore’s a busy guy, with various charitable causes and artistic ventures. He and former Public Enemy rapper Chuck D just fused music genres on an album called “No Country for Old Men.” But he’s an admirer of Boyle and his decades-long mission of gang intervention and rehabilitation.

“Hey,” Densmore told the musicians he played with that day, “maybe I can do something here.”

He suggested that he return and stage a music workshop or a drum circle.

They said of course.

On Wednesday, before the music began, Densmore insisted that I see the Homeboy Art Academy, whose founder is artist Fabian Debora.

“I grew up in the projects when Father Greg first came in,” Debora told me, referring to Homeboy’s early days in the 1980s, when Boyle was pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights. “Through the arts, I found my way to healing and transformation. Then I said, ‘How can I fulfill a need that was missing in my life?’”

The answer is the academy he now runs with Dre Comers, located near Metro’s Chinatown station, providing art instruction to tens of thousands of people. On Wednesday, teachers were busy helping students with artwork in various stages of completion, including a painting of Boyle with a halo.

Most of the participants are young adults, many of whom were born decades after the Doors’ last album was released. One student, in his 20s, welcomed us and asked Densmore what he was known for.

“I’m a drummer,” Densmore said.

He was known to far more people in the music room, including longtime musician/instructors Joe Calderon and Martin Flores. They’re part of the Young Musicians Foundation’s Music Heals program, funded in large part by legendary songwriter Mike Stoller, who co-wrote dozens of hit songs including “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” “Poison Ivy” and “Stand by Me.”

The latter song appears on a brand new “Music Heals” album designed by art academy participants and released Tuesday, so with Densmore’s arrival on Wednesday, it was a big week for Homeboy arts.

“When you’re playing music,” Densmore told about 30 students and instructors, you can enter a state of timelessness. “It’s kind of like a meditation … A little bit of infinity creeps in … And everybody can get into that space. If you want to be a professional musician, cool. If you wind up playing the piano in a closet and nobody hears it, you’re still getting into this space that kind of heals and feeds you.”

And then it was concert time, with Densmore on drums and instructors Calderon on guitar, Flores on percussion and Mackenzie Azela on bass. Fabian Debora Jr. (bass and vocals) and Ralph Quintero (vocals) are both in the Homeboy rehabilitation program.

The band kicked off with a blues number called “Got My Mojo Working,” then it was Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me” followed by Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.”

It all went off pretty smoothly for a group that hadn’t worked together except for a quick minute on Densmore’s previous visit. The musicians were smiling, the spectators tapped and clapped, and that magical sense of timelessness was real, spanning multiple generations.

In a place filled with people confronting the challenge of rebuilding their lives, the lyrics of one particular song were a reverie.

No, I won’t be afraid.

Oh, I won’t be afraid.

Just as long as you stand by me.

Doors drummer John Densmore, right, leads a jam session while teaching a music class at Homeboy Art Academy in downtown Los Angeles.

Debora Jr., 27, told me it was pretty cool to be playing with a member of the Doors, a band he knew about through his elders. Quintero, 50, who is studying psychology and wants to be a drug counselor, said he still couldn’t believe he had just performed with a member of the Doors.

“It’s an honor,” he said.

Everyone in the room grabbed either shakers or a small drum, and with Densmore instructing and conducting, the ensemble conjured what he called the heartbeat of Mother Earth. The music rose and fell, rose and fell as the players became one, followed by an orchestrated hush that served as a silent accent.

“Like sex,” Densmore said.

He moved on to a brief Q&A, and one of the first questions was about what it was like to be around Doors lead man Jim Morrison.

“I miss his artistry,” Densmore said. “I don’t miss his self-destruction. So I’m 81. He died at 27. And there’s different ways to do this. Hopefully you guys will keep on breathing like I am.”

As Densmore packed up his things, a young man named Jeremiah asked the drummer if he’d record a short video for the family of his girlfriend. She had just lost her grandfather, a longtime Doors fan.

“That was their go-to music, every car trip,” Jeremiah said.

He sent the clip to his girlfriend and asked her what the family’s favorite songs were. “Riders on the Storm” was one. Along with “Break on Through,” “Touch Me,” and “L.A. Woman.”

John Densmore, right, congratulates musicians Joe Calderon, from left, Fabian Debora Jr., with bass, and Ralph Quintero after they performed.

At Homeboy, Boyle’s mission has been twofold, in a sense. To show love to his charges while preparing them for lives unlike the ones they’ve known. And through his books and teachings, to remind us all that we belong to each other.

There was a bit of that gospel in the note that Flores, program director at Music Heals, sent Densmore after his visit. He thanked him, telling Densmore he had “provided our students with not only an incredible artistic experience, but also a deep sense of connection, inspiration and hope as they navigate their journeys.”

Densmore answered immediately.

“I think I might have gotten more out of it than I gave.”

steve.lopez@latimes.com