We continue our look at some of the most striking short films created for Agent Provocateur campaigns, spanning 2011 to 2017. For the first chapter of this overview, see: Agent Provocateur Filmography #1 (2001–2009).
Fleurs du Mal (2011)
Released just before Halloween, Fleurs du Mal is perhaps the only lingerie commercial to fully embrace the horror genre. A sweet, almost fragile-looking young woman finds herself under attack in her own home by sinister forces. Those “forces of evil” are, of course, embodied by models wearing pieces from the then-new Agent Provocateur Soirée collection — a clever contrast between danger and desire. After several minutes of escalating terror, the heroine quite literally crosses over to the dark side, joining her tormentors instead of fleeing them.
L’Agent — Penélope Cruz’s film starring Irina Shayk (2013)
This film marked the directorial debut of Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, who at the time was also collaborating with the brand on the L’Agent by Agent Provocateur lingerie line. The plot is pure, tongue-in-cheek fantasy: a suave secret agent steps into a lavish mansion at the height of a party, slips on a pair of special glasses, and suddenly sees every woman in the room wearing nothing but L’Agent lingerie. Only one guest — played by Irina Shayk — remains fully dressed, instantly capturing his attention. Spellbound, he follows this dangerous beauty through the house until, caught in the trap of her allure, he finally collapses at her feet.
The film ends on a playful note with a cameo from Cruz’s husband, actor Javier Bardem, who appears as the no-nonsense foreman of a construction crew, neatly undercutting the fantasy with a wink to the audience.
Resurrection (2017)
Resurrection is Agent Provocateur at its most unapologetically provocative — a historical mini-epic built around the theme of coming back from the dead, and the brand’s refusal to shy away from religious imagery. A young Roman guard witnesses a man rising from the tomb, a figure styled more like an Olympian god than a traditional depiction of Christ, though the reference is obvious. Yet the true focus of the film isn’t the miracle itself, but the man’s breathtaking companion, dressed in barely-there Agent Provocateur lingerie that commands as much attention as the resurrection scene.
In the end, it feels as though the guard is more shaken by her presence than by the act of divine intervention he has just seen — a very Agent Provocateur way to weigh seduction against the sacred.
These films are only a fraction of Agent Provocateur’s cinematic universe, and all of them are still worth watching today. The visuals haven’t lost their impact, and neither have the lingerie collections they were created to showcase.
