Character Relationship Map: Compulsion

Characters

• Sadie (played by Lio Tipton) — protagonist

  Sadie is the central character, a writer touring with Thierry while promoting a book about her chaotic, sexual, and violent relationship with Alex. She abandons Thierry to reunite with Alex and become...

• Francesca (played by Marta Gastini) — protagonist

  Francesca is an erotic dancer whom Sadie and Alex meet at a club. She joins Sadie at the villa and begins a sexual relationship with her, while also supplying drugs and participating in the violent pa...

• Alex (played by Jakob Cedergren) — supporting

  Alex is Sadie's former partner, associated with the chaotic sexual and violent relationship described in her book. He lures Sadie away from Thierry, hosts the drug-fueled villa parties, and treats the...

• Thierry (played by Valentin Merlet) — supporting

  Thierry is Sadie's boyfriend at the beginning of the film and accompanies her on the book tour. He tells Sadie that he loves her and follows her to the villa, but she rejects him while seeking Alex. A...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Sadie → Francesca (Romantic Sexual Partner) — Their erotic connection quickly becomes entangled with manipulation and violence.

  At the villa, Sadie and Francesca drink, take drugs, and begin a sexual relationship.

• Sadie → Alex (Romantic Former Lover) — Their past intimacy remains central to Sadie's choices and emotional conflict.

  Sadie's book describes her chaotic relationship with Alex, which is implied to have been sexual and violent. Alex later invites her to spend the weeke...

• Sadie → Thierry (Romantic Boyfriend) — Thierry represents Sadie's current relationship, which she has become disenchanted with.

  The plot identifies Thierry as Sadie's boyfriend, and he arrives at the villa to tell her that he loves her.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Francesca → Alex (Alliance Party Associate) — Francesca functions as Alex's collaborator within the villa's violent social world.

  Francesca joins Alex and Sadie at the villa, participates in the drug-filled parties, and later acts as executioner during Alex's ritual.

• Alex → Thierry (Conflict Captive Taker) — Alex treats Thierry as an intruder and a victim within the villa's violent ritual.

  Alex brings Sadie into a room where Thierry is tied up and later attempts to stop Sadie from cutting Thierry's bonds.

• Francesca → Thierry (Conflict Executioner) — Francesca becomes Thierry's direct killer during the climax.

  Francesca dresses as an executioner, gives Sadie a knife, and slits Thierry's throat after Sadie tries to free him.

Story Analysis

Sadie's attempt to escape a violent erotic past collapses as desire, manipulation, memory, and public storytelling become impossible to separate.

Plot Progression

1. The Invitation Reopens — Sadie tours with Thierry while promoting a book about her violent and sexual history with Alex. Alex reappears in Italy and draws Sadie away from her current relationship.
2. Desire at the Villa — Sadie brings Francesca into her weekend with Alex after meeting her at a club. Drugs, sex, and a crowded party establish the villa as a dangerous alternate world.
3. Violence Behind Pleasure — Sadie discovers an apparent throat-slitting and confronts Alex, who refuses responsibility. Her attempt to escape fails when she is attacked, drugged, and returned to the villa.
4. The Execution Bargain — Thierry arrives and declares his love, but Sadie rejects him while trying to negotiate with Alex. Francesca and Alex place Thierry into a violent execution ritual.
5. Blood and Escape — Sadie secretly resists the drugs, wounds herself to conceal her plan, and stabs Alex while freeing Thierry. Francesca kills Thierry, leaving Sadie trapped in the aftermath.
6. The Public Mask — In New York, Sadie promotes a new book that reveals Alex was killed in Paris before the main story. Francesca's warning and the final image of Alex leave Sadie's escape ambiguous.