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 70 wins & 92 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 | rape | video game company | opening scene repeated later in film | pepper spray | 

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Taglines:

An incredible, irreplaceable central performance!

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Verhoeven made the movie with an all-French crew which included none of his former Dutch crew members, except for his personal assistant Mita de Groot and editor Job ter Burg. He claimed that the prospect of working with an unknown crew in a new language gave him so much stress that it caused him severe headaches in the months prior to filming. However, these were gone on the first day of shooting, and due to the professionalism of the crew and their love of film, the production went very smoothly.

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Goofs

Repeatedly, Patrick bangs Michèle's head against a concrete wall and hits her in the face with powerful punches. Yet Michèle never loses consciousness, doesn't sustain any bone fractures and even gets away without a swollen eyelid.

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Quotes

Michèle Leblanc: Neither of us is drunk enough for this conversation. OK?

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Connections

Featured in Film 2018: Episode #46.7 (2017)

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Soundtracks

Der, welcher wandert diese Straße voll Beschwerden
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Danilo Formaggia, Sascha Borris, Dorothea Röschmann, Christoph Strehl, Claudio Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

User Reviews

A Convoluted, Yet Well-Executed Premise!

After seeing this film at Cannes, it left me with rather mixed emotions, and I continued thinking about it for quite some time after; so after much thought, I decided it was time to write a review of this new French new flick. 'Elle' is a thought-provoking thriller from the hands of Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven that is definitely not suitable for the younger audiences. Verhoeven has a tendency to venture down more explicit routes (think of 'Showgirls'), but this time took a psychological approach creating a film that will definitely leave you thinking.

Now, the plot can be rather convoluted. The film runs several plot lines alongside each other and at times, you can lose track of certain characters, but if you pay close enough attention, you'll fully appreciate the complex, yet original structure Verhoeven has created. The performances in the film are all fantastic, and the direction is magnificent (Verhoeven actually took to learning French as a new language so he could utilise an entire French crew), the cinematography and soundtrack both make great accompaniments, but I personally think the film's structure was the only downside to the film.

The subject matter is rather grim, revolving around sexual assault and the estranged relationship between the main character and her parents, but there are instances of humour that just give that little hint of lightheartedness to a relatively dark premise. All-in- all I would definitely recommend this film if you're a fan of dark thrillers along the lines of 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' etc, but be prepared for a no-holds brazen thriller. Nonetheless, Verhoeven has made a sincere thriller that kept me thinking well after the credits had finished, so congratulations to him for that, and for undertaking the somewhat "risky" subject matter.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Germany Belgium

Language:

French

Release Date:

11 November 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elle

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,934, 13 November 2016

Gross USA:

$2,341,534

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,748,594

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