Film ReviewsElle: Schadenfreude with a twist
Mar 16, 2017 Anchorage Press
|
|
Isabelle Huppert is perfectly sublime in Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven and adapted from Phillippe Djian’s 2012 novel, “Oh…”.
The novel was greatly acclaimed and this new retelling of the story is Verhoeven’s first feature film in about a decade. The plot points of Elle are widely known as a result of both the book and the film’s wide publicity efforts. The plot is simply this: Michèle Leblanc (Elle) is a powerhouse in the gaming industry — she’s tough, successful, and controlling. One day she is assaulted and raped in her home and instead of reporting it, she plows through the experience and it’s business as usual, or, almost. What is great about the film is that Huppert delivers the nuances of a deep-seeded ambivalence bordering on psychopathic tendencies that Elle experiences as a result of her childhood history in a way that only Huppert can.
Isabelle Huppert has never made a bad movie. That isn’t to say that she hasn’t been in bad movies, it’s to say that if they were bad, it wasn’t because of her. As a matter of fact, sometimes her acting is the only reason to see her movies, good or bad. Huppert was nominated for best actress for her role as Elle at this year’s Academy Awards and though she didn’t receive the award, the reasons why she was a leading contender are solid. The 60-something year old French actress has well over a hundred performances under her belt, and there are a handful more currently in post-production. Huppert has demonstrated time after time that she possesses a wide range of emotional dexterity, profound intelligence and experience of human nature. This has given her a extensive variety of roles, from the her understated performance in Entre Nous (1983, by Diane Kurys) that influenced the way lesbian relationships evolved on the screen, to silly roles like in 8 Women (2002, by François Ozon) in which Huppert plays Augustine, a spinster teeming with desire who sings her way to metamorphosis, and of course, truly difficult and sadistic roles that push all the boundaries, like her role in The Piano Teacher (2001, by Michael Haneke) in which she plays Erika Kohut, a dark and disturbed piano teacher with masochistic tendencies.
Elle, as it turns out, is a character more like Erika than not, except unlike the character in The Piano Teacher, the character of Elle has it all, giving her unencumbered control of her actions. As one would expect, given the plot and characteristics of the thriller-suspense genre, there is plenty of violence to go around. The violence is introduced in perfectly framed and compelling shots. It intensifies and changes as the context changes, thus going from acts of violence against Elle to acts of violence with Elle. Huppert slowly reveals Elle’s own human nature and brings to light how complex she really is and how the world revolves around her not because she is good, but because she is honest about her desires, and unapologetic when she causes pain—actually she enjoys it just a tad too much.
Elle could very well have been a flop if it weren’t for Huppert. Verhoeven fails to deliver depth in concepts that are there for the taking, such as the relationship between Elle and her psychochotic and incarcerated father. Verhoeven leaves too much on the table and it’s difficult to know if this is because Verhoeven believes in the acumen of his viewers, or simply because he ran out of steam. In addition, there are small continuity issues that viewers are forced to ignore in order to give in to the tension and suspense. On the other hand, perhaps it’s the fact that Verhoeven does not give more information that will keep smart viewers talking after the end credits role.
Showtimes: Mon 3/20 7:45 PM
Run time: 2:10 h
Movie Rating: R.for violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language
The novel was greatly acclaimed and this new retelling of the story is Verhoeven’s first feature film in about a decade. The plot points of Elle are widely known as a result of both the book and the film’s wide publicity efforts. The plot is simply this: Michèle Leblanc (Elle) is a powerhouse in the gaming industry — she’s tough, successful, and controlling. One day she is assaulted and raped in her home and instead of reporting it, she plows through the experience and it’s business as usual, or, almost. What is great about the film is that Huppert delivers the nuances of a deep-seeded ambivalence bordering on psychopathic tendencies that Elle experiences as a result of her childhood history in a way that only Huppert can.
Isabelle Huppert has never made a bad movie. That isn’t to say that she hasn’t been in bad movies, it’s to say that if they were bad, it wasn’t because of her. As a matter of fact, sometimes her acting is the only reason to see her movies, good or bad. Huppert was nominated for best actress for her role as Elle at this year’s Academy Awards and though she didn’t receive the award, the reasons why she was a leading contender are solid. The 60-something year old French actress has well over a hundred performances under her belt, and there are a handful more currently in post-production. Huppert has demonstrated time after time that she possesses a wide range of emotional dexterity, profound intelligence and experience of human nature. This has given her a extensive variety of roles, from the her understated performance in Entre Nous (1983, by Diane Kurys) that influenced the way lesbian relationships evolved on the screen, to silly roles like in 8 Women (2002, by François Ozon) in which Huppert plays Augustine, a spinster teeming with desire who sings her way to metamorphosis, and of course, truly difficult and sadistic roles that push all the boundaries, like her role in The Piano Teacher (2001, by Michael Haneke) in which she plays Erika Kohut, a dark and disturbed piano teacher with masochistic tendencies.
Elle, as it turns out, is a character more like Erika than not, except unlike the character in The Piano Teacher, the character of Elle has it all, giving her unencumbered control of her actions. As one would expect, given the plot and characteristics of the thriller-suspense genre, there is plenty of violence to go around. The violence is introduced in perfectly framed and compelling shots. It intensifies and changes as the context changes, thus going from acts of violence against Elle to acts of violence with Elle. Huppert slowly reveals Elle’s own human nature and brings to light how complex she really is and how the world revolves around her not because she is good, but because she is honest about her desires, and unapologetic when she causes pain—actually she enjoys it just a tad too much.
Elle could very well have been a flop if it weren’t for Huppert. Verhoeven fails to deliver depth in concepts that are there for the taking, such as the relationship between Elle and her psychochotic and incarcerated father. Verhoeven leaves too much on the table and it’s difficult to know if this is because Verhoeven believes in the acumen of his viewers, or simply because he ran out of steam. In addition, there are small continuity issues that viewers are forced to ignore in order to give in to the tension and suspense. On the other hand, perhaps it’s the fact that Verhoeven does not give more information that will keep smart viewers talking after the end credits role.
Showtimes: Mon 3/20 7:45 PM
Run time: 2:10 h
Movie Rating: R.for violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language