Elle (2016)

A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven

Writers:

Philippe Djian (novel), David Birke (screenplay)

Stars:

Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 64 wins & 81 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Huppert	...	Michèle
Laurent Lafitte	...	Patrick (as Laurent Lafitte de la Comédie Française)
Anne Consigny	...	Anna
Charles Berling	...	Richard
Virginie Efira	...	Rebecca
Judith Magre	...	Irène
Christian Berkel	...	Robert
Jonas Bloquet	...	Vincent
Alice Isaaz	...	Josie
Vimala Pons	...	Hélène
Raphaël Lenglet	...	Ralf
Arthur Mazet	...	Kevin
Lucas Prisor	...	Kurt
Hugo Conzelmann	...	Philipp Kwan
Stéphane Bak	...	Omar

Storyline

Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

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Plot Keywords:

video game industry | video game company | opening scene repeated later in film | rape | neighbor | 

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Taglines:

An Oscar-worthy performance from Isabelle Huppert!

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence involving sexual assault, disturbing sexual content, some grisly images, brief graphic nudity, and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Germany Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Oh!

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

€9,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,389,814, 16 January 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

SBS Productions, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion GmbH, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Verhoeven was set to do a movie adaptation of De stille Kracht (1974), which was a very popular mini-series in the Netherlands in the 1970s. However, budgetary problems and difficulties in securing exotic filming locations caused him to abandon the project and do Elle (2016) instead, even though producer San Fu Maltha has been quoted as saying that he is still interested to make the movie together with Verhoeven.

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Goofs

The number plate of Richard's car when he parks outside Michele's house is different from when she looks out of the window at his car. The same number plate is seen near the end of the film on Vincent's car.

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Quotes

Anna: What did you see in him?
Michèle Leblanc: It was just one of those things. An opportunity. I wanted to get laid.
Anna: That's no excuse. It was shabby.
Michèle Leblanc: Worse than that even.

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Connections

Referenced in De slimste mens ter wereld: Episode #11.24 (2018)

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Soundtracks

Hold On
Written by Gareth Johnson

User Reviews

Razorsharp & hilarious

Saw this great little comedy of manners, cleverly disguised as a thriller/whodunnit. The first image of the coldly distant, observing cat puts the spectator in the right frame of mind. A very clever script that makes every scene count, peak and slice away. A brilliant mise-en-scene that refuses to heighten the emotions or prettify. Isabelle Huppert absolutely shines, balancing all the minute emotional ticks in every scene, perfectly in control. She leads an ensemble of actors that play the diverse characters/antagonists to perfection. The story is actually all subtext, the main plot only used to connect all the dots and leading us by the nose to the bigger picture. The movie is marvelously playful, refusing to be dramatic, cute or opt for an easy way out. At the same time everything is done with great style and measured, cooked to perfection. Curiously i felt like i was about the only person in the audience who was chuckling along with every scene, maybe my dark sense of humor or feeling the unmistakably Verhoeven tone more acute with every movie of this great director i get to see. What else - a great score by Anne Dudley and Said Ben Said is getting to be my favorite producer !!! And now quite curious to read the source novel.