“Elle” Huppert! Huppert! Huppert! 131 minutes swallowed up by Isabelle Huppert

"Elle" synopsis

Michel (Isabelle Huppert), the president of a new The Game company, is attacked by a masked man in her luxurious home where she lives with her cat. However, Michel does not report it to the police and greets his son Vincent (Jonah Bloquet) who has come to visit, acting as usual. Until six months ago, her son had been playing around without getting a regular job, but when his girlfriend Josey (Alice Isers) became pregnant, he started working at a fast food restaurant. However, Josie is even more out of touch than her son, and Michelle suspects that her purpose is to enrich herself. The next morning, Michel returns to work as usual and attends a preview of a new The Game with his co-owner and best friend Anna (Anne Consigny). Curt, The Game designer, violently objects to Michelle's relentless criticism, but Michelle, who is a self-proclaimed one-man company president, refuses to listen.

When Michelle goes to deliver a check for living expenses to her mother (Judith Mare), who lives in a luxury apartment, she runs into her mother's young lover. Michelle has a blatantly harsh attitude towards the man who is clearly after money, and when her mother asks her, ``What if I remarry?'' she immediately replies, ``I'll kill my mother.'' When I got home, I received an email from an unknown sender, as if someone had been watching me. Furthermore, while working overtime at work, I receive an email that tells me the color of the blouse I'm wearing at the time. It seems that the culprit is closer than expected. Michelle looks at each person with suspicion. First of all, the subordinates of the company. Anna also pointed out that everyone, except for Kevin, whom she has her eyes on, "hates" the president. And Richard (Charles Berling), ex-husband and Vincent's father, a struggling novelist. Although they are still friends, he may hold a grudge against Michelle for rejecting him when he proposed The Game. Speaking of resentment, I'm also suspicious of his mother's boyfriend. Also, although she greets the owner of the house across the street, Patrick (Laurent Lafitte), on a daily basis, she feels that he is looking at her in a strangely sexy way. What's more, Michelle has a secret lover, but if his wife finds out, there's no guarantee he won't be in a state of emergency. As this happens, the other party begins to take bold actions.

A video of Michelle's face pasted onto The Game footage of a woman being attacked was sent to all the computers at Michelle's company. Meanwhile, a new, disturbing atmosphere begins to drift around Michelle. Thirty-nine years ago, Michelle's father, who was sentenced to life in prison for a shocking crime, applied for parole, and the forgotten case began to be dug up again. There were rumors that Michelle, who was 10 years old at the time, was also involved in the incident, but The Truth was never revealed. Michelle, who doesn't want to get involved with the police ever again after that experience, begins searching for the culprit on her own. However, what is gradually revealed is her true nature, which is even more horrifying than the truth behind the incident.

Index

• The impact of the most “unsympathetic heroine” in movie history
• Huppert's actress spirit saved the project of "Elle"
• The Huppert seal is proof of a “reliable movie”!

The charm of the most “unsympathetic heroine” in movie history

Film director Paul Verhoeven, who has always made provocative and controversial films, teams up with France's most daring actress, Isabelle Huppert, for ``Elle''. This is a mysterious suspense story in which the heroine, who is raped by an intruder in her home, continues to behave in ways that no one could predict, and like most of Verhoeven's works, it has aspects of black comedy. Although it has won numerous film awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress at France's César Awards, it is a serious and controversial work that has caused controversy as to whether or not it is immoral.

The thing that most influences whether the audience likes or dislikes this film is the character of the main character, Michel. Even after being raped, Michelle never tries to report it to the police and continues to live her life as usual. She takes command of the erotic The Game company she runs, takes care of her middle-aged son, takes care of her troublesome mother, and has sexual relationships with multiple men. Then, at a dinner table with friends, she brings it up as a casual conversation, saying, ``I feel like I was raped.''

Of course, the fear of rape haunts her as well, leading to an even more messy development, but basically neither Verhoeven nor Huppert had any idea that the character Michel would ``generate sympathy''. In fact, there are passages where I felt it was important to see how much The Truth could be instilled in ``a character with whom I can't empathize at all.'' Whether you find it exciting or unpleasant to watch a character whose behavior you don't understand for hours on end is a matter for each individual audience member.

It is impossible to pretend that you understand the heroine, who is one of the most complex and twisted characters in the history of film, but what is consistent is that she is completely anti-to the existing values ​​and popular psychology. That's what I'm doing. Michelle has no intention of being treated as a victim by the world just because she was raped, and she has no intention of putting a stop to her unrestrained sexuality. She even denies the maternal love that every woman has. He knows that he may sometimes hurt others, but he accepts that it is a part of life.

Michelle is the ultimate rogue who seems to think it's funny to have such a simple sense of ethics. Although it's a completely different type, I was reminded of the oil tycoon Daniel Plainview played by There Will Be Blood (2007). Plainview is also an antihero-like villain, but because he hates the hypocrisy of the world, he pursues a path that no one understands.

Huppert's actress spirit saved the project of "Elle"