Elle

ok

Im not sure why this was critically acclaimed unless it was because it was critically horrible. This is a story about a woman who is so psychologically and pathologically messed up because of her father and circumstances surrounding her upbringing that, instead of being horrified by being attacked and raped in her home, she uses the incident as a spring board to act out her demented sexual fantasies. I kept hoping the film would get better but it never did.

Director Paul Verhoeven is famous for his provocative films, often combining sex, violence and psychological power play. Actress Isabelle Huppert is famous for her demanding roles, often playing powerful women with an obsession for sex and/or violence. Put the two together and you can guess what you get. Elles lead character, Michèle, is a woman who owns a video game company, specializing in games filled with extreme sex and violence. She casually shares her bed with her best friends husband. She masturbates watching the neighbour unloading the trunk of his car. Her father is a convicted serial killer. Oh, and she doesnt seem to mind getting raped. At least, thats the impression after the very first scene. After having been attacked and violently raped, she doesnt call the police of even a friend, but a fast food restaurant, ordering something to eat. The film explores not only Michèles relationship with her rapist, whose identity is established after about two thirds of the film, but also the men and women in her immediate circle. They all have their problems and peculiarities, and Michèle seems to pull all their strings as a hard, cold woman, superbly mastering her feelings and emotions. For the viewer, it takes some effort to understand all the different relationships, and even more to grasp Michèles behaviour. The only explanation Verhoeven offers, is her troubled youth as the daughter of a serial killer. In my opinion, the film suffers from an overload of characters with psychological difficulties. Theres a mother hiring a gigolo because she cant accept getting older, theres a son clinging to a dominating girlfriend, a neighbour with a wife obsessed with religion, an employee playing a dirty trick on Michèle, and so on. Personally, I found it a bit too much. The one thing that stands out in this film, is Isabelle Hupperts acting. Any other actress could easily have made Michèles character unbelievable. But Hupperts utter detachment from any form of sensitivity makes the part completely convincing.

Huppert is what earns two stars for this bloated, pretentious mess of a movie! I loved her character in Piano Teacher, and the character she portrays in this one is cut from the same cloth. She is born to play these roles. She looks good too! For a Verhoeven film, this is crap! The film isnt shocking at all. It doesnt have to be shocking, but it could at least be a good film. It didnt resonate with me. Verhoevens films usually gut punch on a social satire level, but this movie is merely your typical, predictable, Hollywood crap with a little rape thrown in. Big deal! Some say that the story telling, and character development is what elevates this film over many others. I call shananigans on that too! Youll notice that every conflict the film throws at you, (and its a lot of them!) is nicely resolved at the end. A perfect little fit. Not one loose end or question will linger by the end credits. I guess its a satire of typical, lame Hollywood dramas. Sadly the movie only succeeds in being the very thing it attempts to lampoon. In conclusion, I highly recommend this to Huppert fans. Verhoeven fans should avoid this!

Im a longtime fan of Isabelle Hupert, and this role is perfect for her. Im glad her age is not a deterrent any longer as makeup and care can help great actresses play younger roles in films. We can enjoy Isabelle Huperts formidable skills much longer. Good thriller film with unpredictable plot.

Great movie! Dark, suspenseful, superbly cast & acted I’ve watched it three different times & found settle nuances I had missed prior. I would definitely recommend this movie to a friend.

Isabelle Huppert is amazing in a story that is provocatively contrived yet with a grain of truth at its base. What starts out like some Hollywood revenge fantasy veers into workplace drama, deranged family farce and of course, sexual transgression. Its got all the earmarks of classic Verhoeven: venal men, strong, if bare breasted women, perverse twists, taboo toppling. the director seems to take especial glee in humiliating just about every character in some way or another. Its ultimately a pitch black comedy, with Huppert doing her best Buster Keaton: she takes a licking and pops back up with a sort of aggressive impassivity. It revels in going to extremes, but like a Lynch, Almodovar or Cronenberg movie makes weird sense on its own terms. The story is riffing on the phenomenon of how some victims of trauma come to find comfort, even pleasure in ritualized violence, BDSM, in this case, rape play. Hupperts character is the daughter of a notorious mass murderer grown up to be the CEO of a company that makes hyper violent video games. She seeks to dominate all around her, with mixed success, when a sexual assault puts her on a path of self discovery and acceptance. Really. Less in line with the directors more tepidly risque Hollywood output, Elle hearkens back to the giddy perversity of the The 4th Man. Which makes it kind of a homecoming for Verhoeven, finally returning to making the kind of movies he was clearly put on this earth to do.

Once upon a time, Paul Verhoeven was the hottest director in Hollywood, helming such box office hits as RoboCop and Basic Instinct. But a couple of disappointments (oddly, everyone I know loves Starship Troopers and Showgirls is regarded as a camp classic) is all it takes for studios to turn their back on you these days, so Verhoeven took his talent back overseas (he was born and raised in the Netherlands and didnt start directing American movies until the mid 80s - the underrated Flesh and Blood) where his style of sex, violence, and a good dose of humor seems to work best. This is the case with Elle, a movie that would be dead serious if it was made in Hollywood by anyone else. Thankfully, its French and helmed by Verhoeven – making it one of the more uniquely entertaining movies youre likely to come across. French actress and Academy Award nominee Isabelle Huppert ( indeed, one of the best and bravest actors currently working) stars as Michèle, who we see getting raped by a masked man (dressed all in black) in the movies opening moments. While this horrible event would be the cause of two hours of angst for a character in an American movie, Michèle treats her rape rather clinically, although that doesnt mean she doesnt become focused on both finding ways to protect herself and well as hoping to unmask the perpetrator – who begins a game of taunting her after the events take place. Michèle works for a videogame company whose specialty is creating violent and sexually exploitive games, so she immediately begins to suspect that one of her employees (maybe a current one, perhaps a former one) is the man who raped her. Others in Michèles circle of friends and acquaintances are also suspicious. I will confess to pinpointing who the person was as soon as his character is introduced in the movie, although I dont know if it will be that obvious to everyone who watches the film. However, the identity of the person is just the first surprise in the movie, as Michèles response is far from expected and may even turn some viewers (especially females, I suspect) off. I will say that knowing who it is (or having a pretty good idea) didnt take away any of my enjoyment, which is a good indication that the film holds up to multiple viewings and is much more than a whodunnit. The movie also has a great excuse why our lead character doesnt take her problems to the police; Michèles father was responsible for some horrible crimes at which she was present (as a little girl). The crimes were horrendous enough that complete strangers will shout awful things at her, and one woman (early in the movie) actually throws a tray of food on her in a public restaurant. Michèle treats that moment so nonchalantly, that viewers will know its happened to her many times before. But for all the seriousness of the subject matter here, the real surprise of Elle (which, incidentally, isnt a nickname for the main character but rather the French word for she) is what a wicked sense of humor is has. Not in the laugh-out-loud kind of way (although I certainly did so a few times), but in a dry, subversive way. Theres a great subplot here involving Michèles son (Jonas Bloquet) and the rather questionable girlfriend (Alice Isaaz) hes chosen for himself that goes places I dont think a Hollywood movie would dare (wait until you the scene where she gives birth!). Unfortunately a lot of us avoid foreign movies because you have no desire to sit and read subtitles for two hours – I sometimes feel the same, but I encourage you to give this movie a chance. If youve loved Verhoevens work here in the States, youll get that same feeling with Elle. I dont know that its the directors best movie, but its definitely a contender. Vital Disc Stats: (The Blu-ray.) Elle arrives on Blu-ray in a standard Sony-type blue keepcase (the kind with the flap on the side you need to lift up to open the case) and contains no inserts. The 50GB Blu-ray is front-loaded with trailers for Equity, Julieta, Toni Erdmann, Maggies Plan, and Our Little Sister. The main menu consists of a still image of actress Isabelle Hupperts character and the cat in the movie (the same image that graces the back of the keepcases slick), with menu selections horizontally across the bottom of the screen. The Blu-ray is region-free.

Well, full of twists and tangential story lines, which can be good. Boundaries were definitely pushed. However, in this film, conclusions and resolutions were reached without being earned. Story lines just jumped from problem to the problem being solved, which is lazy writing. The performances were good, but ultimately the film left me disappointed.

Sometimes the stars align for a film, as is the case with the legendary French actress, Isabelle Huppert taking the lead in Paul Verhoevens in-your-face thriller, Elle. Both the story and the star are superbly matched, here. It is almost cliche to say that Verhoeven is controversial. Hardly any of his English-language films, from Robocop to Basic Instinct did not generate strident conversations. Elle was not different -- is no different -- in its uncomfortable look at the role a strong-willed woman plays in a still male-dominated society. A middle-aged CEO of a computer gaming company in Paris is attacked in her home. Not particularly unique, except that rather than reporting the rape to the police -- which, lets face it, probably wouldnt do any good -- she decides to take matters into her own hands and find the perp herself. She might have gotten more than she bargained for as the rapist begins taunting her, and without spoiling anything, when she finds out who it is it is not only surprising, but a bit anti-climactic. Verhoeven and his lead actress use the unusual, but clearly-told story as a vehicle for interrogating issues of sexual predation, sexism in the corporate world and much else. Rather well, I think.