Michèle Leblanc is raped by a masked assailant in her home, but keeps a low profile about the incident due to her long standing aversion towards the media and police back from her troubled childhood when her father was convicted of mass slaughter. The incident haunts her further and complicates her personal life which is already in an emotional turmoil. When the assailant returns, unforeseen turn of events are in order!
Language:
French
Running Time:
140 min
Rating:
R (MPAA)
Release date:
25 May 2016
Directed by:
Paul Verhoeven
Produced by:
Michel Merkt
Said Ben Said
Written by:
David Birke
Adapted from Novel by Philippe Djian
Starring:
Isabelle Huppert
Laurent Lafitte
Alice Isaaz
Anne Consigny
Charles Berling
Christian Berkel
Music by:
Anne Dudley
Shot by:
Stephane Fontaine
Editing by:
Job ter Burg
Distributed by:
SBS Distribution
Sony Pictures Classics

What’s Hot

  • The amount detailing that has gone into creating the lead character Michèle Leblanc and a lot of bold scenes to enact, meant a herculean task for the actor to carry it off. Veteran actress Isabelle Hupert absolutely nails the role with all of her experience at her disposal – not a mean feat by any means as she managed to make it look so real and personal.
  • As a movie on the whole, Elle had all the ingredients to be another riveting whodunit movie that keeps you guessing till the end. But it transforms to a different level when the psychological twists are infused into the characters – something that enhances the impact of the revelations made as the story evolves into a psychological thriller!
  • Paul Verhoeven’s mad methods of treatment to the subject aside, he is in total control of the way he has gone about exposing the plot. Past events are juxtaposed at just the right moments to uphold the suspense and viewer interest – a well-structured screenplay that aids the overall watching experience.

What’s Not

  • Despite all the accolades and brickbats the film might receive and deserve, the visible traits of misogyny in the way Paul Verhoeven has detailed certain portions of the film – like the way Michèle reacts to being raped and the direction taken by her video game company’s creative section to name a few seem beyond rationalization.

Badges

Acting
Story
Direction

Verdict

Verdict Stamp

‘Elle’ is not a compilation of events we get to watch very often, for it explores different avenues of psychological responses to personal crisis. Driven by Paul Verhoeven’s disturbing style and steered by Isabelle Hupert’s bold performance, the movie is nothing short of a perturbing thriller from start to finish!