In 2019 Adèle Haenel came forward, accusing director Christophe Ruggia of sexually harassing her during the making of the film. She was 12 at the time and appears nude in several scenes. Haenel said the filmmaker, who allegedly became fixated on her, subjected her to "forced kisses on the neck" and "repeated touching". Ruggia initially vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but after being expelled from the French directors' guild he once led, he conceded he had made "errors" and said he had not realised that his adulation and the "hopes I placed in her" might have been distressing for her given her young age. He then asked for her forgiveness.
Director Christophe Ruggia said the love scene between Adèle Haenel and Vincent Rottiers only took as long as it needed to be filmed: there was a single take. "Adèle and Vincent were lying on the ground, the camera was mounted on a dolly track, very close — I could have touched them — and we did exactly what we'd done during rehearsals, but this time with twenty-five people around...," Ruggia recalled. "We'd hung sheets all around to shield them, to stop anyone outside from seeing. Also, regarding nudity I was frank with them. I told them: 'This is the script I wrote and the film I want to tell, but the limits are yours to set.' Vincent hesitated for a moment, anxious about the scene where he had to be erect, but the size of the prosthesis reassured him immediately... Adèle, she pushed the boundaries."
Adèle Haenel's film debut.
