ELLE

France, 2016, 130 minutes, Colour.
Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny, Charles Berling, Virginie Efira, Judith Magre, Christian Berkel, Jonas Bloquet, Alice Isaaz,
Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

Elle is a very uncomfortable film to watch. It has many characters and plot strands, quite complex and complicated. And the characters are ambiguous. And the situations provide moral, immoral and amoral questions.

Isabelle Huppert has been toplining films for almost 40 years, one of the world’s significant actresses, and her performance here is very striking, and she has never shied away from difficult roles and difficult interpretations (remembering such films as The Piano Teacher). And the director is the Dutch Paul Verhoeven who has never shied away from difficult themes either – audiences tend to remember that he was the director of Basic Instinct and of Showgirls (unfortunately forgetting his powerful Dutch war drama, The Black Book).

Of the many themes, it seems best to state first that is a film about rape, the film opening with a brief sequence, made all the more telling because of the camera most of the time focused on the pet cat, but later shown in more graphic detail, and even a sequence where Isabelle Huppert as Michelle imagines her violently vanquishing the masked man assaulting her.

This means that Elle is the kind of film that Pope John Paul II wrote of: ‘…even when they explore the darkest depths of the soul or the most unsettling aspects of evil, artists give voice in a way to the universal desire for redemption.’ (John Paul II, Letter to Artists, 1999.)

This is also a film where audience sympathies for each of the characters can veer sharply from sympathy to antipathy. This is especially the case with Michelle herself, victim of the rape but then shown in her workplace, manager of a company which produces violent and sexually aggressive computer games, urging her team to make them even more vividly confronting. She has a son, rather ineffectual but devoted to his pregnant girlfriend whom Michelle disdains, but trying her best to help her son. She has a friendly but often vindictive relationship with her ex-husband.

Perhaps the most sympathetic character in the film is her partner, Anne, a friend since each gave birth to their children at the same time, but unaware that her callow husband is having an affair with Michelle.

And then there is Michelle’s mother, even having Botox treatment which makes her look grotesque in her 70s, with her toyboy and her intending to get married again. More traumatising is the character of Michelle’s father, whom we know was something of a monster and is in jail, the extent of the horror of his crimes and Michelle’s presence as a young child at the time is revealed later. Michelle, as we eventually see, has some propensity for violent sexuality.

Redemption doesn’t seem to be at the fore in this screenplay, although it must be said that Pope Francis makes two appearances via television news, once as he is celebrating Christmas midnight mass in the Vatican, something that the young devout neighbour, who has set up her own large crib at her house, wants to view; and a glimpse of him going to Compostella, participating in the Camino, a sign of some astonishment to Michelle’s son who sees the Pope as an august figure and cannot imagine him with his shoes off… An interesting use of a moral reference in the film.

There does seem to be some kind of peacemaking with a number of the characters, although Michelle does get a last, unexpected, revenge on her father, as well as a grim revenge on her assailant.

This is a strong film, some intense drama with comic moments, but one which asks for a great deal of reflection about good and evil, right and wrong, morality, immorality and amorality.

1. The title, the focus on Michelle, female, her point of view, the writer and the director and their male point of view?

2. The reputation of the director, controversy and challenge? Sexual and psychological issues? The strong cast, especially Isabelle Huppert?

3. The French city and its setting, homes, workplaces, socials, fast food outlets? A contemporary feel?

4. Ambiguous characters, situations, moral, immoral, amoral?

5. Rape as a theme, assault and power, male over female, the attack, the victim, suffering, sadomasochistic aspects?

6. The opening, introduction to Michelle, the masked man and his attack, the focus on the cat watching, the glimpse of the brutality, Michelle, the blood, cleaning herself, cleaning up the broken crockery? Going to the doctor and being commonsensed? But not going to the police? The past and her antipathy towards the police?

7. Audience sympathy for Michelle in this situation? Her going to work, her relationship with Anne, the team, her being boss of the company, the videogames, the violence and sexual aggression? Audiences challenged in their sympathy for Michelle? The plans, the program, Kurt’s disagreement, Kevin and his support? Her wanting the game to be intensified? Consideration of the target audience, making money? Audience response to the nature of computer games, the impact, the players and the effect on them? Violence? Sexual aggression?

8. Vincent, his visit, issues of money, his relations with Josie, her pregnancy, the photos, Michelle’s comment on Josie’s mental condition? The issue of the apartment, covering the rent? His job at Quick? Love for Josie, his work, support of Josie?

9. Josie, various boyfriends? The tattoo of Eric? Pregnant, Vincent and his promises, her being demanding? The drama of the birth, in hospital, the parents present, the colour of the baby, the father, the various reactions? Vincent and his absolute devotion? Eric present?

10. Michelle and Richard, the marriage, separation, the relationship to Vincent? Michelle crashing Richard’s fender? The dinner, her telling the group about her ordeal, the various reactions? Urging her to go to the police? Richard as a writer, his relationship with Helene, the yoga instructor, Michelle going to her workplace, the meeting, inviting her to dinner at home, the toothpick in the food, the discovery that she had made a mistake about Richard’s book, the breakup? Michelle having pity on Richard, as a writer, his idea for a game, finally setting him up with Kurt to give him some temporary occupation?

11. Michelle, receiving the texts from the assailant? Changing the locks? Her fear? Rebecca and Patrick across the street, friendship? Patrick saying he had chased the assailant? The invitation to dinner, Michelle flirting with Patrick under the table? The storm, his return to close the shutters, touching Michelle? Leaving?

12. Patrick and Rebecca, a happy couple, neighbours, helping, the invitation? Rebecca and her faith, the statues for the crib and setting it up? At the dinner? Wanting to look at the television, the papal mass? Her faith, her absences from home, the effect on Patrick? The final words with Michelle and her indicating that she understood Patrick and thanked Michelle for her support?

13. Patrick, as a banker, neighbour, the dinner, closing the shutters, Michelle and Vincent going home, the drinking, going down into the basement, Patrick and his attack, the sadomasochistic behaviour? Michelle, her agreement and pleasure? The relationship? Coming back with Patrick, the mask, the further attack, Vincent arriving, hitting Patrick, his death? Michelle’s revenge?

14. Michelle is mother, age, the Botox, trying to be glamorous? The toy boy, Ralf? His presence, Michelle’s reaction to him? Threatening her mother if she announced her engagement? The issue of her father, her mother urging Michelle to visit him in prison? Coming to the dinner, the announcement of the proposal, her collapse, hospital, coma, the funeral?

15. Michelle’s father, her hatred, never visiting him in prison, her mother’s suggestion? The television and the explanation of the case, his brutality, the picture of her as a little girl, audience assuming that she participated in the killings? Her telling Patrick the story? The decision to visit, finding that her father had hanged himself, the glimpses on television at him having his parole refused? The prison authorities, the time of his hanging – and Michelle looking at his body and assuring him that she had killed him and got her revenge?

16. Vincent, the break with Josie, seeming hopeless, giving up his job, Michelle giving him the job to organise the reception, the success of the event, the videogame as a hit, finance? His following his mother, hitting Patrick? And reunited with Josie?

17. Michelle, the mock video game, her suspicions of Kurt antagonistic towards her, asking Kevin to spy, promising him money, her looking at his computer, finding that he had created the video – and refusing the payment?

18. The significance and symbolism of the scenes with the Pope, midnight mass, his going to walk the Camino, Vincent’s comment on his dignity, imagining him barefooted?

19. Anne, a good woman, her friend, her husband, his relationship with Michelle? Michelle telling and the truth, and anger, ousting Robert?

20. The final sense of friendship, Michelle calmer, reconciled with Anne, some good coming out of all the conflicts and ambiguity?