The film premiered in France on 22 May 2002 through Mars Distribution . It competed at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival . It was released in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2003 through Metro Tartan Distribution , and the United States on 7 March 2003 through Lions Gate Films . Audience reactions to both the rape scene and the murder scene have ranged from appreciation of their artistic merits to leaving the theater in disgust . '' Newsweek '' 's Ansen stated that " If outraged viewers ( mostly women ) at the Cannes Film Festival are any indication , this will be the most walked-out-of movie of 2003 . " In the same review , Ansen suggested that the film displayed " an adolescent pride in its own ugliness "
2002 Cannes Film Festival
2002 Cannes Film Festival
Irréversible