After winning the Jury Prize at Cannes last year, it was only time before Maïwenn’s third film, Polisse, would make its way into American cinemas. The actress-turned-director and writer may be best known to audiences in the states for her roles in films such as High Tension and The Fifth Element, but she has been writing and acting throughout her entire career, leading up to her most lauded work to date. Both unnerving and jarring, Polisse dives into the world of France’s Child Protection Unit, a police division that handles the children’s safety from sexual abuse to teen crimes. Based on real cases, the film gives a broad overview of the daily life in the unit and they way in which these police must deal with keeping their work and personal lives at a distance. Maïwenn not only co-wrote and directed the film, but she also co-stars as a photojournalist sent in the document the unit. We spoke to Maïwenn about taking on such a heavy subject, how she and her actors prepared, and the challenges of having such a multi-hyphenated job title.