Elles (2011)

On her latest assignment, a journalist for Elle immerses herself in a prostitution ring run by university students.

Director:

Malgorzata Szumowska

Writers:

Tine Byrckel, Malgorzata Szumowska

Stars:

Juliette Binoche, Anaïs Demoustier, Joanna Kulig

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Juliette Binoche	...	Anne
Anaïs Demoustier	...	Charlotte
Joanna Kulig	...	Alicja
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing	...	Patrick
Krystyna Janda	...	La mère d'Anne
Andrzej Chyra	...	Le client sadique
Ali Marhyar	...	Saïd
Jean-Marie Binoche	...	Le père d'Anne
François Civil	...	Florent
Pablo Beugnet	...	Stéphane
Valérie Dréville	...	La mère de Charlotte
Jean-Louis Coulloc'h	...	Le père de Charlotte
Arthur Moncla	...	Thomas
Scali Delpeyrat	...	Charles
Laurence Ragon	...	Colette

Storyline

Anne (Juliette Binoche), a well-off, Paris-based mother of two and investigative journalist for ELLE, is writing an article about student prostitution. Her meetings with two fiercely independent young women, Alicja (Joanna Kulig) and Charlotte (Anais Demoustier), are profound and unsettling, moving her to question her most intimate convictions about money, family and sex.

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Plot Keywords:

student | journalist | prostitution | sex | fellatio | 

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Taglines:

The world's oldest profession still has its secrets.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

France Poland Germany

Language:

French English Polish

Release Date:

1 February 2012 (France)

Also Known As:

Sponsoring

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine - Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

€4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$24,286 (USA) (27 April 2012)

Gross:

$157,427 (USA) (7 September 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Slot Machine, Zentropa International Poland, Zentropa International Köln

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Pass This On"
Written by Karin Dreijer Andersson & Olof Dreijer
Performed by The Knife

User Reviews

Showcase for Binoche's acting talent

The star of this movie is Juliette Binoche, who plays a reporter for Elle Magazine writing a story about two students earning a living as call girls. She leads the life of a typical bourgeois woman, with a husband and two sons, a big Parisian apartment, design kitchen and expensive clothes. She has everything she wants. But at the same time, her life is shallow and limited. The conversations with the two girls make her realize that there is more to life than she thinks, and she starts to doubt her own values and certainties.

The students confront her with the relativity of the things she takes for granted. 'Do you have a bathroom with a view?', asks the girl who hates the poor quality of life in her working class neighbourhood. 'I guess so, I've never thought about it', answers Binoche's character. And as she says it, she realizes how lucky she is to have a life many can only dream of.

At first, she is shocked by the girls' relaxed attitude towards prostitution. Later on, she realizes that in reality these girls are everything she herself isn't: independent, adventurous, open minded, rebellious, ambitious. Binoche is perfect in the way she expresses the doubts and confusion of her character. 'Elles' is a showcase for Binoche's acting talent.

Polish director Szumowska does a nice job by switching from the girls' sexual encounters with their clients to Binoche's daily routine of making breakfast, cooking dinner and washing clothes. The contrasts between the scenes accentuate the difference in lifestyle of the characters.