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Frontier(s)

Frontier(s)

What are your boundaries...

2007108 minNC-17Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Director
Xavier Gens
Starring
Samuel Le Bihan, Karina Testa, Aurélien Wiik, Patrick Ligardes

A gang of young thieves flee Paris during the violent aftermath of a political election, only to hole up at an Inn run by neo-Nazis.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Frontier(s)?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove does not list Frontier(s) on any major US streaming service.

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Frontier(s)?

Frontier(s) earns 9 badges, led by Guilty pleasure and Seriously scary.

Show 1 more
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Content

Reception

Is Frontier(s) worth watching?

Frontier(s)'s Midcredits score is the 51st percentile of all films, from 60K ratings across 6 sources. 50% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

51st percentile

Better received than 51% of films

89th percentile among Horror50th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)50th
Approval (how many liked it)52nd

61 /100

50th percentile of all films

89th percentile among Horror49th percentile among 2000s

Critics 44 · Audience 62

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 6.3 — solid but not unanimous.

50% liked it

52nd percentile of all films

86th percentile among Horror49th percentile among 2000s
50% rated it 7–1050% rated it 1–6

Critics 60% · Audience 53%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 5 noms overall

93rd percentile

60K ratings across platforms

92nd percentile among Horror87th percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 6% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$3M
Opening weekend$512K
Domestic gross$97K
Worldwide gross$2.8M

Returned 0.9× its budget — 68th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A derivative but brutally intense French horror that blends cannibal-family tropes with Nazi iconography and political unrest.

Fans praised

  • brutal, relentless gore with visceral set-pieces
  • bleak, claustrophobic atmosphere and gritty cinematography
  • effective performances, especially Karina Testa's traumatized lead

Detractors panned

  • derivative patchwork of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hostel, and Hills Have Eyes
  • illogical character behavior and shallow, unsympathetic protagonists
  • muddled political subtext abandoned for gratuitous violence

What stands out

Effects and spectacleDivisive72

gory practical effects; band-saw scene standout

AtmosphereDivisive70

oppressive, dirty, claustrophobic world-building

ActingDivisive65

leads credible in distress; some supporting roles over-the-top

Cinematography65

sepia-drenched, gritty handheld style; sometimes muddy

TensionDivisive64

effective chase sequences and tunnel crawl

CharactersDivisive40

unsympathetic thieves and cartoonish Nazi villains

Plot and storyDivisive38

familiar escape-survival formula with shallow political frame

Originality18

heavy borrowing from Texas Chainsaw, Hostel, Hills Have Eyes

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Over-30s

Over-30s scored it 14 points higher than under-30s.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 8 points apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 6 points apart

Watch experience

What is Frontier(s) like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Scary: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be scared.

It is intense, never lets up and leaves you unsettled. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Scary.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseDreadCathartic
Heaviest: late
Register
Brutal · 7% of filmsBleak · 8% of filmsBrooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its brutal material straight, with unflinching seriousness and a grim, earnest commitment to its violent horror.
The rideThe film builds immense tension from the first encounter at the inn, sustains a heavy dread through the torture and violence, and lands its emotional weight in the final explosive confrontation.
StructureThe story unfolds in a conventional beginning-middle-end structure: a group flees Paris, arrives at the inn, and fights to survive the family's attacks.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Unsettled.

UnsettlingCathartic · 6% of films
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves you unsettled from the unrelenting brutality, but there is some catharsis in Yasmine's fight and final escape.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% (this title) · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Oppressive state: A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).

21% of films fit this archetype

with Rebirth underneath

Why this archetypeThe protagonists are on the run from riot-torn Paris and fall into a murderous Nazi family's inn, trapped and fighting for survival. The family embodies the oppressive state and monstrous ideology, and Yasmine's fight to escape and protect her unborn child gives a rebirth arc.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% (this title) · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15% (this title): Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Survival

SurvivalOppression · 4% of filmsFamily bonds
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is about staying alive against a sadistic Nazi family, while also exploring the brutal weight of systemic oppression and the desperate strength of bonds between friends and a mother and her unborn child.
StanceThe film warns about the persistence of Nazi ideology and the brutal oppression it enables, focusing on one survivor's desperate fight for freedom.

The world

ContemporaryRuralDomesticInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral classicalElectronicSupportive music · original score · Jean-Pierre Taïeb
Settinga remote inn near the French-German border, with a mine and slaughterhouse
MusicThe score blends tense electronic textures with orchestral swells, reinforcing the relentless dread.

Content guide

Is Frontier(s) okay for kids?

NC-17

Frontier(s) is rated NC-17: “Rated NC-17 for extreme sadistic graphic violence and gore” (MPAA). As of October 2, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (95/100), sexual content at moderate (41/100), language at severe (93/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (60/100) and frightening material at severe (96/100). Overall it is heavier than 86% of NC-17-rated films.

Ratings in 14 other countries
  • UK18
  • AustraliaR 18+
  • Germany18
  • France16
  • JapanR18+
  • Brazil18
  • Argentina18
  • FinlandK-18
  • ItalyVM18
  • MexicoD
  • Norway18
  • Russia18+
  • Spain18
  • Switzerland18
Overall
Severe · all five categories
Heavier than 98% of all filmsHeavier than 86% of NC-17-rated films
Violence & Gore
Severe
heavy for an NC-17-rated film
heavier than 88%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate
light for an NC-17-rated film
heavier than 9%
Profanity
Severe
heavy for an NC-17-rated film
heavier than 91%
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
typical for an NC-17-rated film
heavier than 59%
Frightening / Intense
Severe
heavy for an NC-17-rated film
heavier than 96%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Heavy almost across the board: frightening material, violence, language, and drug and alcohol content. Everything else sits at or below what NC-17-rated films usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Frontier(s) have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Frontier(s)?

Cast

Samuel Le Bihan
as Goetz
Karina Testa
as Yasmine
Aurélien Wiik
as Alex
Patrick Ligardes
as Karl
David Saracino
as Tom
Maud Forget
as Eva
Amélie Daure
as Klaudia
Estelle Lefébure
as Gilberte
Rosine Favey
as La mere
Adel Bencherif
as Sami

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Frontier(s)?

Movies like Frontier(s) include Kidnapped (2010), Inside (2007) and P2 (2007). Of the 12 closest matches, several are home-invasion stories, and most are captor-and-captive stories.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

All 12 share its subject: survival. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Frontier(s)?

304 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: home invasion. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.