Elles (2011)

Director:

Malgorzata Szumowska

Writers:

Malgorzata Szumowska (written by)
Tine Byrckel (written by)

Release Date:

1 February 2012 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The world's oldest profession still has its secrets.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Student | Journalist | Prostitution | Sex | Fellatio

Awards:

1 win

Cast

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
Alain Libolt	...	Le mari de Colette
Swann Arlaud	...	Le jeune client
Nicolas Layani	...	Le client guitare
Laurent Jumeaucourt	...	Le client grain de beauté
José Fumanal	...	Le client qui pleure
Martine Vandeville	...	La secrétaire université
Jenny Bellay	...	La voisine retraitée
Tom Hénin	...	L'ami de Florent
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anaïs Fabre	...	(uncredited)
Mateusz Kosciukiewicz	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Malgorzata Szumowska		(as Malgoska Szumowska)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Tine Byrckel		written by
Malgorzata Szumowska		written by (as Malgoska Szumowska)

Produced by
Daniel Blum	....	co-producer
Bettina Brokemper	....	co-producer
Reinhold Elschot	....	co-producer
Peter Garde	....	co-producer
Olivier Guerbois	....	line producer
Peter Aalbæk Jensen	....	co-producer
Agnieszka Kurzydlo	....	co-producer
Johannes Rexin	....	line producer
Beata Ryczkowska	....	co-producer
Marianne Slot	....	producer
Malgorzata Szumowska	....	co-producer (as Malgoska Szumowska)

Original Music by
Pawel Mykietyn

Cinematography by
Michal Englert

Film Editing by
Jacek Drosio
Françoise Tourmen

Casting by
Aurélie Guichard

Production Design by
Pauline Bourdon

Costume Design by
Katarzyna Lewinska

Makeup Department
Cédric Gérard	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Benoit Baverel	....	unit manager
Benoît Baverel	....	unit production manager
Florence Cohen	....	assistant production manager
Laura Einmahl	....	unit manager
Rüdiger Jordan	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nicolas Cambois	....	first assistant director
Jean-Christophe Garcia	....	trainee assistant director
Boris Vassallo	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Stephanie Laurent Delarue	....	first assistant art director
Jonathan Israel	....	ripper
Martin Tronquart	....	property master

Sound Department
Ivan Dumas	....	boom operator
Matthias Lempert	....	sound re-recording mixer
André Rigaut	....	sound mixer

Casting Department
Mathilde Snodgrass	....	casting assistant
Boris Vassallo	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Olivia Lahougue	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Xavier Sirven	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Rüdiger Jordan	....	location scout: Germany
Antje Krumm	....	production press

Thanks
Christina Bentlage	....	thanks
Petra Müller	....	thanks
Arthur Simonini	....	thanks
Jeremy Zall	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Slot Machine
• Zentropa International Poland (co-production)
• Zentropa International Köln (co-production)
• Canal+ Polska (co-production)
• Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (co-production)
• Shot - Szumowski (co-production)
• Liberator Productions (co-production)
• Polish Film Institute (support)
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen (support)
• Deutsche Filmförderfonds (DFFF) (support)
• Programme MEDIA de la Communauté Européenne (support)
• Procirep (support)
• Angoa-Agicoa (support)
• Haut et Court (participation)
• Memento Films International (participation)
• Potemkine (participation)
• Kino Swiat (participation)
• Cofinova 7 (in association with)
• Arte / Cofinova 6 (in association with)
• Soficinéma 6 (in association with)

Distributors

• CDI Films (2012) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2013) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Kino Lorber (2012) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Mantarraya Producciones (2012) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Maywin Media (2012) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Officine UBU (2012) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Thim Film (2012) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Alambique Destilaria de Ideias Unipessoal (2012) (Portugal) (all media)
• Artificial Eye (2012) (Ireland) (all media)
• Artificial Eye (2012) (UK) (all media)
• Audio Visual Entertainment (2012) (Greece) (DVD)
• Camera Film (2012) (Denmark) (all media)
• Film1 (2013) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• First Distributors (2011) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Folkets Bio (2012) (Sweden) (all media)
• Frenetic Films (2012) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Future Film (2012) (Finland) (DVD)
• Golem Distribución (2012) (Spain) (all media)
• Haut et Court (2012) (France) (all media)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2012) (Belgium) (all media)
• Imovision (2012) (Brazil) (all media)
• Inbaubel (2012) (Taiwan) (all media)
• Kam & Ronson Enterprise Co (2012) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Kam & Ronson Enterprise Co (2012) (Hong Kong) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Kino Lorber (2012) (USA) (all media)
• Klock Worx Company, The (2013) (Japan) (DVD)
• Kurmaca Film (2012) (Turkey) (all media)
• Les Films Séville (2012) (Canada) (all media)
• Mantarraya Producciones (2011) (Mexico) (all media)
• Mongkol Major (2012) (Thailand) (all media)
• Officine UBU (2012) (Italy) (all media)
• Palace Films (2012) (Australia) (all media)
• SBP (2012) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Shapira Films (2012) (Israel) (all media)
• Videorama (2012) (Greece) (all media)
• Wide and Wise (2012) (Korea) (all media)
• Wild Bunch Benelux (2012) (Netherlands) (all media)
• Zorro Film (2012) (Germany) (all media)

Other Companies

• Dinner for Tours  catering: NRW
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Filmobil  make-up/wardrobe van
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen  funding
• Upper Level Travel  travel agency

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France | Poland | Germany

Language:

French | English | Polish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:NC-17 | Ireland:18 | Australia:R | Germany:16 | Singapore:R21 | UK:18 | Argentina:18 | France:12 | South Korea:18 | Hong Kong:III | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/16 | Mexico:C

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Slot Machine

Soundtrack:

Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 - II. Allegretto

Binoche the only reason to see this disappointing film

Although directed and co-written by a Polish woman (Malgorzata Szumowska), this French-language film has so many of the ingredients that we associate with Gallic art house movies: it is slow and ponderous, the narrative is fractured, there is smoking, drinking, and eating, there is sex but much of it is sordid or sad or sadistic, there are scenes which are simply inexplicable, and the conclusion is utterly unresolved and even senseless.

Juliette Binoche plays Anne, a journalist with "Elle" researching an article on how students fund their education through prostitution. Apparently she only interviews - repeatedly - two students: the French girl Charlotte (Anaïs Demoustier) and the Polish girl Alicja (Joanna Kulig). Neither hooker seems as unsettled by the lifestyle she has chosen as Anne appears unbalanced by the interviews. It is all rather disjointed and unsatisfactory and the only reason for seeing the film is the wonderful work of the ever-impressive Binoche.