Elle (film)

Not to be confused with Elles (film).
Elle

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Verhoeven
Produced by
  • Saïd Ben Saïd
  • Michel Merkt
Written by David Birke
Based on Oh...
by Philippe Djian
Starring
Music by Anne Dudley
Cinematography Stéphane Fontaine
Edited by Job ter Burg
Production
company
Distributed by SBS Distribution (France)
Release dates
  • 21 May 2016 (2016-05-21) (Cannes)
  • 25 May 2016 (2016-05-25) (France)
Running time
 130 minutes
Country
  • France
  • Germany
  • Belgium
Language French
Budget €8.2 million
($9.1 million)[1]
Box office $7.4 million[2]

Elle (French for "she" or "her") is a 2016 French-German-Belgian psychological thriller directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by David Birke, based on the novel Oh... by Philippe Djian. Djian's novel was released in 2012 and received the Prix Interallié (National Literary Award). The film stars Isabelle Huppert and tells the story of a businesswoman, Michèle Leblanc, who is raped in her home by an unknown assailant and stalks him back.

The film is Verhoeven's first feature since 2006's Black Book, and his first in the French language. It premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival where it received critical acclaim.[3][4] Elle was subsequently selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language film at the 89th Academy Awards.[5] Huppert's performance was widely acclaimed, considered to be one of the finest of her career, and won her a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress and a Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress.

Plot

Michèle Leblanc is raped in her home by an assailant in a ski mask, then promptly cleans up the mess and resumes her life. She is the assertive head of a successful video game company, where her male employees are alternately resentful of or infatuated with her. She feels detached from her son Vincent, who submits to Josie, his domineering and unfaithful girlfriend, and lives in denial that her mixed-race child is his own. Michèle has a contentious relationship with her mother, who she resents for her narcissism and habit for younger men. Meanwhile, she carries on an affair with Robert, the husband of her best friend and business partner Anna, and develops an erotic obsession with her new neighbor Patrick, a banker who is married to a devoutly religious woman named Rebecca. Furthermore, Michèle is the daughter of a serial killer whose parole hearing is soon approaching. Haunted by this violent event from her childhood and the subsequent media frenzy, Michèle is wary of law enforcement and does not report the rape to police, despite the pleas of her friends.

Following the rape, Michèle grows increasingly suspicious of the men in her life. She at first suspects Kurt, a particularly resentful employee, when a CGI animation of a monster raping her is emailed to everyone at the company. She pepper-sprays a man lurking outside her house, only to find out it is Richard, her ex-husband, who was checking on her safety. It is later revealed that another employee who has been infatuated with her created the animation, but did not rape her. Michèle is attacked in her home by the same masked assailant one night, and after stabbing his hand and unmasking him, learns that he is Patrick. Michèle decides to visit her father after his parole application is rejected, only to find that he has hung himself hours before she arrived. On the way home from the prison she gets into a car crash in a secluded area. Refusing to call the police due to lingering paranoia from her childhood, she first calls her friends, who don't answer, and then decides to call Patrick. After Patrick rescues her from the car and bandages her, Michèle develops a morbid fascination with him. She begins staging a dangerously vivid rape fantasy, hinging on his inability to perform with a consenting woman. The two of them walk a delicate line in which Patrick has to feel like he is raping Michèle even though she consents to the roleplay.

Michèle grows increasingly disillusioned with the various facets of her life leading up to the celebration party for the premiere of her company's new video game. She confesses to Anna that she was having an affair with Robert. As Patrick drives her home from the party, Michèle informs him that she is no longer in denial about their unhealthy relationship, and expresses her intention to call the police. Before entering her home, she makes a point to leave the gate unlocked. Based on their previous encounter, Patrick, believes this to be an invitation for another rape roleplay, enters the house and attacks her, only to be ambushed and killed by Vincent — Michèle staged the scene to avenge her rape while offering her impotent son a chance to be the hero. In the film's epilogue, Vincent is shown to be a bit more assertive in his relationship with Josie, while Michèle reconciles with Anna. Michèle speaks briefly with Rebecca as she is moving out of the neighborhood. Rebecca expresses gratitude to Michèle for being able to temporarily "satisfy Patrick's needs" — implying that she was aware of her husband's inclinations the entire time.

Cast

Production

Development

Director Paul Verhoeven.

Paul Verhoeven stated that he felt the movie was an opportunity for him to do "something very different to anything I've done before. But this stepping into the unknown, I think it’s very important in the life of an artist. It puts you in an existential mode. As an artist you have to, as much as possible, step into the unknown and see what happens to you."[6] The project was unveiled at the Marché du Film during the 2014 Cannes Film Festival where it was described as "pure Verhoeven, extremely erotic and perverted."[7] Verhoeven was looking for an actress who would be "prepared to take that on" and believed Nicole Kidman "could handle this role." He also considered Marion Cotillard, Diane Lane, Sharon Stone and Carice van Houten for the role of Michèle, a businesswoman who is raped in her home by an unknown assailant and refuses to let it alter her precisely ordered life.[8] The film was originally supposed to take place in Boston but, according to Verhoeven, it proved to be "too difficult" to shoot the film in the United States due to its violent content.[9] Verhoeven then decided to do it in French and used a significant time before production to learn the language, in order to effectively communicate with the predominantly French cast and crew.[10] In September 2014, French actress Isabelle Huppert signed on to star in the film as Michèle.[11] Huppert had read the book before being offered the part. She is a longtime fan of Verhoeven’s work whom she described as "one of the best directors in the world for me".[12]

Filming

Leading actress Isabelle Huppert.

Principal photography began on 10 January 2015 for a ten-week shoot.[13] Filming took place in and around Paris. A planned sequence in Paris' main police station was cancelled following the Charlie Hebdo shooting on 7 January.[14] The film was also shot in a house for Huppert's character in Saint-Germain-en-Laye for five weeks.[15] Verhoeven's mise-en-scène for the film was influenced by three films: Federico Fellini's 8½, Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game and Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. Every scene was choreographed, and Verhoeven storyboarded the whole film himself.[10] He chose to shoot the film with two Red Dragon cameras as "These days the amount of time a director is given to make a move has diminished by 40 to 50 percent. Working with two cameras solves part of that problem while giving you the opportunity to do things that you wouldn’t do before."[10]

When the film wrapped, Verhoeven described the shoot as "difficult"[16] but later admitted that "in retrospect, it was very pleasant and easy."[17] He dismissed rumors that Elle was an "erotic thriller" in the tradition of some his previous films, including Basic Instinct, "Those people who think that this is an erotic film will be disillusioned. They are in for a strange confrontation with a movie that is... not ordinary. I don’t think the story is erotic; it’s about rape. An erotic thriller would be a bit weird, right? I mean, it might be erotic for the person doing it, but I don’t think that rape in general is something you would call erotic."[10] On May 13, 2015, he told Variety he had "a strong feeling with this one that I was doing something that I’d never done before, which applied when I made RoboCop."[18] He also praised Huppert’s performance, saying that "She is an extremely gifted actress that gives you more than what’s on paper… even what’s in the book. She does experiments in her mind to get to places that she would probably avoid in reality. And she does that in an absolutely unique way."[18] He also said in an interview with Film Comment:

She’s one of the most brilliant actors I’ve ever met in my life. She’s so extremely special and is able to avoid any cliché in any situation, always finding a different way of doing things. She comes up with all kinds of extra details that you wouldn’t even dream of, that I would never come up with on my own. She’s not only a great actress but she is also especially imaginative and creative in her approach to the character. I didn’t have to tell her anything about Michèle because it was clear from the first shot that she knew exactly what her character would do and how she would behave in whatever circumstance. She is extremely audacious and she really had no problem with anything that was in the script, so I have an enormous respect for her.[10]

Release

Huppert and Verhoeven promoting the film at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

The first poster for the film was released in May 2015 during the Cannes Film Festival where SBS Productions sold the film internationally.[18] On 16 January 2016, the first trailer and the final poster were released.[19] On March 11, 2016, French film magazine Le Film français announced that SBS Distribution moved up the release date from September 21 to May 25, 2016.[20] On 14 April 2016, it was announced that the film had been selected to compete for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the Cannes Film Festival.[21] On 27 April 2016, several images of the film were released.[22]

On May 11, 2016, it was announced Sony Pictures Classics had acquired distribution rights to release the film in North America, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe (excluding Russia) and Asia (excluding China and Japan). Sony, who had previously acquired Verhoeven's Black Book, said in a statement, "This thriller is Paul Verhoeven at his very best and Isabelle Huppert gives the performance of a lifetime. Elle promises to be a hit with audiences this fall." Verhoeven added, "Sony has always been my home in the U.S., and I'm excited that Sony Classics will take care of Elle with the wonderful actress Isabelle Huppert. I'm pleased that even my European films have ended up with them."[23] Following the film's Cannes premiere, Sony announced its theatrical release in the U.S. on November 11, 2016.[24]

Reception

Critical response

Elle has received positive reviews from critics, with Verhoeven's direction and Huppert's performance being praised.[25] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 88% approval rating based on 103 reviews, with an average score of 8/10. The site's consensus was: "Elle finds director Paul Verhoeven operating at peak power -- and benefiting from a typically outstanding performance from Isabelle Huppert in the central role."[26] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 89, based on 30 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[27]

Director Paul Verhoeven at the film premiere in Amsterdam.

The film received a seven-minute standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival international premiere.[28] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter called it "the most empowering "Rape Movie" ever made," and wrote, "Paul Verhoeven’s film about a woman’s complicated response to being raped will draw ire from feminists and others, but it’s one of the bravest, most honest and inspiring examinations of the subject ever put onscreen."[29] Stéphane Delorme of Cahiers du cinéma wrote the film was "a striking return for the Dutchman. We didn't dare dream of such an audacious, generous film."[30] Guy Lodge of Variety said, "Isabelle Huppert might be our best living actor, and Elle might be Paul Verhoeven's best film."[31][32] Eric Kohn of Indiewire described it as a "lighthearted rape-revenge story."[33] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter called the film a "tastefully twisted mid-to-late-life crisis thriller that’s both lasciviously dark and rebelliously light on its feet" and added that Verhoeven and Huppert "combine their talents to make a film that hardly skimps on the sex, violence and sadism, yet ultimately tells a story about how one woman uses them all to set herself free."[34] Jason Gorber of Twitch Film thought the film was a "a masterwork by a master filmmaker, while Huppert's performance reminds the world once again what a treasure she is."[35] Ben Croll of TheWrap believed the film was "riotously funny, and Isabelle Huppert has never been better."[36]

Christopher Hooton of The Independent said it was "Cannes' only real high point."[37] Xan Brooks of The Guardian found the film "utterly gripping and endlessly disturbing" and felt, "Isabelle Huppert delivers a standout performance as a woman turning the tables on her attacker in the controversial director’s electrifying and provocative comeback."[38] Lisa Nesselson of Screen International found that Huppert's "self-assured-and-aloof register is a perfect fit with Verhoeven’s taste for far-fetched human behaviour presented as plausible," and described the film as "suspenseful and unsettling from first frame to last."[39] David Sexton of The Evening Standard labeled the film as "outrageous, funny and shocking, exhilarating and original."[40] Catherine Bray of Time Out wrote the film "might just be the most Paul Verhoeven film yet, due to its willingness to push buttons, explore transgressive territory and take constant delight in venturing where the vast majority of filmmakers would fear to tread" and predicted, "It's a film that will inspire debate for decades to come."[41]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Cannes Film Festival May 22, 2016 Palme d'Or Paul Verhoeven Nominated [42]
Critics' Choice Awards December 11, 2016 Best Foreign Language Film Elle Pending [43]
Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Pending
European Film Awards December 10, 2016 Best Film Elle Pending [44]
Best Director Paul Verhoeven Pending
Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Pending
Globes de Cristal Award January 30, 2017 Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Pending [45]
Gotham Independent Film Awards November 28, 2016 Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Won [46]
Independent Spirit Awards February 25, 2017 Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Pending [47]
London Film Festival October 15, 2016 Best Film Elle Nominated [48]
National Board of Review January 4, 2017 Top 5 Foreign Films Elle Won [49]
New York Film Critics Circle December 1, 2016 Best Actress Isabelle Huppert (also for Things to Come) Won [50]
Satellite Awards February 19, 2017 Best Actress Isabelle Huppert Pending [51]
Best Foreign Language Film Elle Pending
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 5, 2016 Best Foreign Language Film Elle Pending [52]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lermercier, Fabien (15 April 2015). "Paul Verhoeven, a Frenchman by adoption". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  2. ↑ "Elle". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ↑ "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  4. ↑ "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Richford, Rhonda (26 September 2016). "Oscars: France Selects 'Elle' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  6. ↑ Chauvin, Jean-Sébastien; Delorme, Stéphane (October 2015). "L'ironie est un art perdu: entretien avec Paul Verhoeven". Cahiers du cinéma.
  7. ↑ Lindsay, Taylor (6 May 2014). "Coming to Cannes From Wild Bunch: 'Spring Breakers 2' and Gaspar Noe's Sex Celebration 'Love'". Indiewire. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  8. ↑ "Nicole Kidman in erotische thriller". De Telegraaf. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Clarac, Toma (30 April 2015). "PAUL VERHOEVEN, DE ROBOCOP À JÉSUS CHRIST". GQ. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Margaret, Barton-Fumo (12 January 2016). "Interview: Paul Verhoeven". Film Comment. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  11. ↑ Jagernauth, Kevin (25 September 2014). "Paul Verhoeven, William Monahan, 'Frank' Director Lenny Abrahamson And More Line Up New Projects". Indiewire. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Walsh, Katie (9 December 2014). "Interview: Isabelle Huppert Talks Her Favorite Films Of 2014, The State Of Cinema, Michael Haneke & More". Indiewire. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Lermercier, Fabien (24 February 2015). "Verhoeven in the middle of shooting Elle". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
  14. ↑ van Dorp, Michael (6 February 2015). "Verhoeven schrapt scène vanwege Charlie Hebdo". Veronica Magazine. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  15. ↑ "Isabelle Huppert, un nouveau rôle "fémininement" incorrect". Mairie de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. calameo.com. March 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
  16. ↑ Bénédict, Sébastien (April 24, 2015). "PAUL VERHOEVEN : LA CHAIR ET LE SANG (DU CHRIST)". Chronic'art. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ Kohn, Eric (November 25, 2014). "How Paul Verhoeven Survived 'Showgirls' and Turned His Back on Hollywood". Indiewire. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  18. 1 2 3 Hopewell, John (May 13, 2015). "Cannes: Paul Verhoeven Sees 'Elle' as Nuanced Thriller (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved November 28, 2015.
  19. ↑ Davis, Edward (January 16, 2016). "Watch: First International Trailer From Paul Verhoeven's Thriller 'Elle' Starring Isabelle Huppert". Indiewire. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  20. ↑ "SBS Distribution avance le prochain Paul Verhoeven". Le Film français. March 11, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
  21. ↑ Debruge, Peter; Keslassy, Elsa (April 14, 2016). "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  22. ↑ Newman, Nick (April 27, 2016). "New Images from Cannes Titles By Paul Verhoeven, Bruno Dumont, Park Chan-wook, Cristian Mungiu & More". TheFilmStage.com. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
  23. ↑ Lang, Brent; Keslassy, Elsa (May 11, 2016). "Cannes: Sony Pictures Classics Buys Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 11, 2016.
  24. ↑ Thompson, Anne (May 27, 2016). "Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' and Tom Ford's 'Nocturnal Animals' Get Oscar-Friendly Release Dates". Indiewire. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  25. ↑ Cannes reception:
  26. ↑ "Elle (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  27. ↑ "Elle". Metacritic.
  28. ↑ ELLE - Rang I - VO - Cannes 2016 on YouTube
  29. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (May 22, 2016). "Critic's Notebook: Why Cannes' 'Elle' is the Most Empowering "Rape Movie" Ever Made". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  30. ↑ Delorme, Stéphane (May 2016). "Brise cannoise". Cahiers du cinéma. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  31. ↑ Lodge, Guy (March 21, 2006). "Isabelle Huppert might be our best living actor, and ELLE might be Paul Verhoeven's best film. A dangerous wow.". Twitter. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  32. ↑ Lodge, Guy (May 21, 2016). "Cannes Film Review: 'Elle'". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  33. ↑ Kohn, Eric (May 21, 2016). "Cannes Review: Paul Verhoeven's 'Elle' is a Lighthearted Rape-Revenge Story". Indiewire. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  34. ↑ Mintzer, Jordan (May 21, 2016). "'Elle': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  35. ↑ Gorber, Jason (May 26, 2016). "Cannes 2016 Review: ELLE, A Sordid, Provocative Masterwork". Twitch Film. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  36. ↑ Croll, Ben (May 21, 2016). "'Elle' Cannes Review: Isabelle Huppert Is Spectacular in Mean, Funny Film". TheWrap. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  37. ↑ Hooton, Christopher (May 24, 2016). "Elle film: Cannes' 'only real high point' was a movie by the director of RoboCop". The Independent. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  38. ↑ Brooks, Xan (May 21, 2016). "Elle review: Paul Verhoeven's brazen rape revenge comedy is a dangerous delight". The Guardian. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  39. ↑ Nesselson, Lisa (May 21, 2016). "'Elle': Cannes Review". Screen International. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  40. ↑ Sexton, David (May 25, 2016). "Cannes 2016: Elle, film review – Funny and shocking, exhilarating and original". The Evening Standard. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  41. ↑ Bray, Catherine (May 21, 2016). "Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven". Time Out. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Cannes 2016". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  43. ↑ "La La Land Leads with 12 Nominations for the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards". Critics' Choice. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  44. ↑ "European Film Awards Announce Best Film Nominees". Variety. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  45. ↑ "11ème Cérémonie des Globes de Cristal : découvrez la liste des nommés". Globes de Cristal Award. 16 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  46. ↑ Cox, Gordon (20 October 2016). "Gotham Awards Nominations 2016: 'Manchester By The Sea' Leads with Four". Variety. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
  47. ↑ Warren, Matt (22 November 2016). "2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced!". Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  48. ↑ "60th BFI London Film Festival announces 2016 awards winners" (Press release). BFI. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  49. ↑ "National Board of Review Announces 2016 Award Winners". National Board of Review. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  50. ↑ "New York Film Critics Circle Awards 2016". New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  51. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (29 November 2016). "Satellite Awards Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  52. ↑ "The 2016 WAFCA Awards Nominations". 3 December 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.

External links

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