Movie: Elle

Elle:  France’s 2016 Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Language film.  A tour de force performance by Isabelle Huppert, who plays Michele Leblanc, the “elle” in the film’s title.  Michele is a divorced businesswoman who owns a video game company.  The game currently being developed is violent.  Brief scenes of violence appear throughout the film, some of which involve an intermix of human comedy as well as scenes of short sexual violence.  The sexuality that runs through the storyline results in a film that is clearly not of American origin.  The opening scene is a swift rape viewed from the perspective of Michele’s cat.  This 130-minute subtitled film is based upon the novel Oh . . .  by Philippe Djian.  Paul Verhoeven directed the film and David Birke wrote the screenplay.  Violence penetrates Michele’s life from the outset.  Her father is in prison because, when Michele was 9 years old, he went on a one day killing spree in their neighborhood.  Michele was home when her father returned from his rampage.  We learn about her background as the main story unfolds.  Most of the people with whom Michele interacts are presented as foolish beings.  She remains friends with her ex-husband , Richard (Charles Berling); the marriage we learn ended over a single violent episode.  Some of the lighter moments in the film occur between Richard and his much younger girlfriend.  The relationship between Vincent (Jonas Bloquet), Michele’s adult son, and his pregnant girlfriend, Josie (Alice Isaaz), is filled with conflict and flows from Josie’s odd behavior.  Even the events that occur involving Michele’s rapist (Laurent Lafitte) are bizarre.  Michele’s one real friend is her business partner, Anna (Anne Consigny).  Nonetheless, Michele has an affair with Anna’s husband Robert (Christian Berkel), who is also tagged as a fool.  While the film partially explains Michele, it never provides a viable explanation for the rapist’s behavior.  There is one more character who deserves comment: Michele’s mother played by Judith Magre.  The mother’s scenes are short but when she is on camera, her performance matches that of Huppert’s.  Verhoeven, at 78, has created a riveting film.  The acting throughout is excellent.  Michele’s character and behavior are very unique but Huppert’s talent renders her believable.  Huppert’s performance is reason enough to see this film.