Elle (2016)
This feels very much Paul Verhoeven trying to make a Haneke film. Having Isabelle Huppert in the lead makes perfect sense then as her role is reminiscent of what she did in The Piano Teacher.
I love Verhoeven for often taking on these types of projects where he isn’t afraid to provoke and challenge his audience with disturbing ideas, and leaving it open to ambiguity what his intentions actually are. Going into the deep end here with a questionable portrayal of rape fantasies is certainly going to raise some eyebrows. We are not used to seeing rape victims with such a dismissive demeanor as Huppert does here. No matter what horrible things happens to her in this film, she barely acts more than a little annoyed.
What is weird though, is how it never really got under my skin despite the provocative subject matter. I think Verhoeven punctures a bit of the disturbing imagery and themes by having subtle undertones of satire and small moments of dark comedy. It adds a bit of a distance, whereas Haneke would hold nothing back. I am being unfair here because Verhoeven isn’t Haneke and of course his style is different, and there should be no doubt that is a fantastic daring unique film by Verhoeven who keeps during something different, yet still familiar.
Rating: 4.5