Film discussion: Elle

February 13, 2017
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Never one to shrink from making suggestions, I propose that you come to The Music Hall on Tuesday night and watch Elle, in which Huppert demonstrate why she’s been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, and why she probably deserves it. Huppert is often described as “fearless,” and Elle, a peculiar rape/revenge movie, gives her plenty of room to live up to that label.

In Elle, Huppert is the French head of a video game company who is attacked by a man in her home. She doesn’t report the assault to the police, preferring to track the man down on her own, initiating a kind of cat-and-mouse game with a dangerous edge. Huppert’s legendary stillness and icy self-control makes for a captivating thriller.

The other major player in making Elle a conversation starter is the director, Paul Verhoeven. Verhoeven is best know for his popular U.S. movies, RoboCop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Showgirls, and Starship Troopers, but his global reputation is as a provocateur, a man who likes to titillate audiences and then make them pay a price. He’s an elegant stylist who loves to include a little shock value with his story telling.

Elle has been a critical success, and audiences have also approved of its mixture of detective story, implications of sexual fantasies being played out and a fair amount of violence.

I know there are a few of you who are thinking about sneaking into Fifty Shades Darker at the MallPlexx 6,000, despite the universal gag reflex it has caused among critics. Take my advice, come to Elle instead and see what a gifted director, a fabulous actress, and a dash of perversity can do when mixed to perfection.

We may also do a little talking about the upcoming Oscar ceremonies, which are usually a nice distraction from worldly matters. (Some exceptions apply; acceptance speeches this year may include trigger point material for the politically minded.)

Next week (February 21), we will be talking about Pedro Almodovar’s latest film Julieta. Then on February 28, we will be treated to Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, Toni Erdmann. Not a bad antidote to a month filled when we’re all tempted to talk about snow.