Production notes

Principal photography began in Rotterdam on 30 May 1996. Most scenes of the film were shot in Wrocław, Poland.

Character has an approval rating of 92% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 7.6/10. The film received mixed reviews during its U.S. release. Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised the film's cinematography and Decleir's performance, but criticises the pacing, writing that "The story is long and episodic, but its larger trajectory is not always evident. Something important seems lost in translation".