Credits: Clicsouris / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
Three days before the French release of the film Dalloway (September 17, 2025), Mylène Farmer lends her voice to the central AI in Yann Gozlan’s new film and is calling for action: protect creativity from “impostors.” Presented at Cannes in May, the adaptation of Tatiana de Rosnay’s book stars Cécile de France as a novelist under digital influence, on the shifting border between technological assistance and control.
Benchmarks: Release, Cast, and Adaptation
Mylène Farmer lends her voice to the film’s AI in ‘Dalloway’, which haunts Yann Gozlan’s new feature film. Presented in the Midnight Screening at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025, the film arrives in French theaters on September 17, 2025. In the film, Cécile de France plays Clarissa, a writer lacking inspiration. The digital assistant first rescues her, but then becomes an intrusive presence. Anna Mouglalis rounds out the cast. The screenplay freely adapts Tatiana de Rosnay’s dystopian novel The Flowers of Shadow.
A Speculative Thriller Drawn From Tatiana de Rosnay
The story brings the world of the novel The Flowers of Shadow to the screen. Clarissa, a writer in search of a fresh start, joins a hyperconnected residency meant to boost creativity. The digital assistant “Dalloway” first proves invaluable there… but the system spirals out of control: help turns into control, efficiency into surveillance. This drift fuels a speculative thriller in which the algorithm claims to calibrate inspiration, even trying to replace it.
From Book to Screen: What the Adaptation Changes
The novel explores the inner life of an author weakened by doubt. Yann Gozlan turns it into a mood-driven film that stays true to the feeling of uncanniness, but is more sensory: connected architecture, omnipresent interfaces, an enveloping voice. Where the page lays out thoughts, the image favors signals: notifications, doors opening, objects that speak. Clarissa moves through a world optimized for her—and that is precisely what is unsettling.
“An AI Has No Soul”: Mylène Farmer’s Warning
The artist sums up the dilemma: AI is fascinating, but it raises questions about the uniqueness of creation. Farmer says she uses tools like ChatGPT for practical tasks, while warning: “You have to know how to use it and not become a slave to this tool.” Above all: “An AI has no soul.” The stage, the encounter with the audience, shared emotion—experiences that cannot be downloaded. Hence her call to “protect creation, protect creators from impostors.”
Cécile de France Calls for Firm Oversight
The actress favors the legal angle: regulate AI, penalize tech giants, and put safeguards in place for artists and audiences. That message echoes the film: Clarissa thinks she can master the tool before she is overtaken by its logic. The issue touches on copyright, traceability, and public trust.
How the Voice of “Dalloway” Was Integrated Into the Shoot
Mylène Farmer’s lines were recorded in advance and then played through Cécile de France’s earpiece during the takes. The intended effect: an intimate, constant presence of the AI, heightening the confusion between assistance and control.
A Public Debate Rekindled by High-Profile Statements
On September 14, 2025, on TF1’s 8:00 p.m. news, Mylène Farmer and Cécile de France reiterated the value of AI tools but also their excesses. In the press (Le Parisien, Public), Farmer calls for protecting creators, while Cécile de France advocates clear rules.
Synthetic Content, Voice Clones, “Impostors”: What Are We Talking About?
The term “impostors” refers to generated content that imitates an artist’s signature without being their own work. Voice clones, synthetic images, and performances reproduced by models all feed this concern. The film illustrates this shift: the tool assists, then takes over. Hence the importance of authenticity markers and a legal framework to distinguish inspiration from identity theft.
A Tradition of Voice in Cinema and the School of Suspense
Giving a voice to an offscreen presence is a classic device: invisible narrators, voice-overs, mysterious entities. In Dalloway, Mylène Farmer’s recognizable voice becomes a character. The staging favors suggestion and suspense, playing on notifications, doors that give way, screens that keep watch.
Promotion Strategy and Expected Reception
The film’s promotion continues through exclusive interviews, television, and magazine press. The central message: equip audiences to understand AI while taking its reach seriously. Release is scheduled for September 17, 2025, with word of mouth driven by the topicality of the subject and a strong cast.
What European Law Says in 2025
The European AI regulation (AI Act) came into force on August 1, 2024. Its first provisions have applied since February 2, 2025: definition of an AI system, transparency obligations, targeted prohibitions. Deadlines run through 2026. For culture, this means:
- transparency (say when a voice or image is generated),
- traceability (document the training data),
- proportionality (adapt obligations according to risk).
Why This Film Speaks to Today
Beyond the suspense, Dalloway points to a contemporary anxiety: outsourcing creative acts. The promise of efficiency is seductive, but dependency lurks. Farmer denounces the “impostors”: not the tools, but the usurpation of creation. Cécile de France stresses the importance of legal oversight. The film itself suggests a path: reaffirm intention as the criterion. An AI can help, but not want.
The Ecology of Digital Tech: An Underlying Issue
The debate over AI ties into concerns about the environmental footprint of digital technology. Without being a campaigning film, Dalloway questions the proliferation of connected objects and dependence on assistive technologies. Simplicity—moderating use, prioritizing what matters—also becomes a humanist choice.