Elle

Oscar-nominated Isabelle Huppert stars in Paul Verhoeven's chilly thriller as Michèle, an imperious Parisian businesswoman who reacts with apparent nonchalance after being raped by a masked intruder. Refusing to report the assault to the police, she continues to oversee a firm that produces violent, sexually explicit video games, while also carrying on a halfhearted affair with the husband of her partner and encouraging her troubled son to dump his shrewish girlfriend. Although one might assume she has been traumatized, her icily pragmatic demeanor actually masks her determination to take vengeance on all who have wronged her—not only the intruder but also her mother, who is making a fool of herself with a young gold digger, and her father, a long-imprisoned mass murderer who implicated her in his crimes, as well as a hacker (perhaps a staff member) who has posted insulting images of her on the web. Verhoeven and Huppert obviously relish the intricacies of this lurid revenge tale in which Michèle deals with all of her enemies, although the means are twisty and shot through with mordant humor and a soupçon of bitterness. Presiding over all like a stern goddess is Huppert's Michèle, a model of hauteur who never apologizes for even the most horrendous acts. Elle is a cinematic game in which director and star toy with the audience like expert puppeteers. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include “Celebrating an Icon: AFI's Tribute to Isabelle Huppert” (37 min.), and a “making-of” featurette (7 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for this Oscar nominee.] (F. Swietek)