While appearing in projects such as Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep, she began work on her second solo album, enlisting Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin as composers, Jarvis Cocker and the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon as lyricists, and Nigel Godrich as producer. The resulting record, 2006's 5:55, paid homage to her musical heritage and defined her as an artist and interpreter in her own right. It also went platinum in France, and an American release followed in spring 2007. Gainsbourg returned to the studio quickly, enlisting the help of another A-list producer, Beck, to help shape her newest batch of electronic pop songs. IRM appeared in Europe in late 2009, the same year that Antichrist -- a controversial horror film directed by Lars von Trier and starring Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe -- premiered at Cannes. IRM received its American release in 2010. Issued in 2011, Stage Whisper offered up seven previously unissued studio recordings from the IRM sessions, including collaborations with Conor O'Brien of Villagers, Noah and the Whale, and Connan Mockasin, as well as 11 live cuts that were recorded during her 2010 European tour.
For several years, Gainsbourg concentrated on her film career, appearing in 2012's Confession of a Child of the Century with Pete Doherty as well as von Trier's 2013 film Nymphomaniac, which earned her Bodil Award and European Film Award nominations for Best Actress and also included her version of the song "Hey Joe." She was also nominated for the Lumières Award for Best Actress for her performances in 2014's Samba Alice and Three Hearts. Gainsbourg returned to music with Rest, a set of songs about loss, childhood fears, shyness, and other challenges that featured lyrics she wrote in French. Released in 2017, the album included collaborations with Daft Punk's Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Paul McCartney, Owen Pallett, Connan Mockasin, and SebastiAn. ~ Heather Phares, Rovi