Big Picture Big Sound

'Elle' is an Absorbing Revenge Fantasy

In the opening scene of "Elle," director Paul Verhoeven's latest film, Michèle (played by Isabelle Huppert) is being assaulted on the floor of her kitchen. Her masked attacker is on a twisted mission, sparing no moment of thought for just how badly he is torturing his victim.

That's how the film opens - on an entirely unsettling note - setting the tone of discomfort that runs rampant throughout the film. Verhoeven has never been interested in making his audiences feel comfortable and he doesn't start doing so with "Elle." The master provocateur always wants to leave his audience talking, whether it be that shot in his 1992 film "Basic Instinct" or a staggeringly violent opening scene in his latest, which creates a snowball of questionable choices made by the characters.

I started this review as a warning because "Elle" will be entirely off-putting to some viewers. I saw the film at this year's Toronto Film Festival and was mesmerized by every frame. I'm glad I had a 20-minute walk back to my hotel to start to digest everything I had seen. One thing I knew for sure; discomfort be damned. "Elle" is one of the best movies of the year.

Michèle lives an affluent life as the head of a video game company. She's icy and stoic, keeping a few friends and family members close but everyone else at an arm's length. After her attack, Michèle gets herself examined but doesn't report the attack to the police. One night at dinner, with her ex-husband and their two friends, she casually informs them that she was raped, as if it were simple small talk.

Everyone is concerned about Michèle's safety. She's advised to get a gun but balks at the thought of having a firearm. Instead, she buys a hatchet and pepper spray. Michèle is seemingly unshaken by what happened to her but is more than ready to exact revenge. A hatchet? She means business.

"Elle" takes many twists and turns as the film progresses, some more illogical than others. Verhoeven and screenwriter David Birke, who adapted the screenplay from the novel by Philippe Djan, want to perplex you by the character's actions and motivations. In fact, they want you to decide what the character's motivations really are. This is sure to prove frustrating to some but intriguing to others.

Front and center in this elegantly shot picture is Huppert, giving one of the year's best and most award-worthy performances. Michèle isn't always the nicest or easiest person to get along with, appearing more calculated than welcoming, but Huppert entrances the audience, breathing wicked life into the character.

"Elle" is equal parts revenge thriller and pitch-black comedy. And this may make it a bit of a challenge for some viewers. But Verhoeven and Huppert make the movie absolutely worth squirming in your chair for 130 minutes. Without a doubt, "Elle" is one of the year's best movies.