Review of Elle (2016) by Tim M — 20 Jan 2017

The psychological thriller 'Elle' staring Isabelle Huppert is mostly captivating for the who done it approach that director Paul Verhoeven uses to keep the movie going. The suspects are hard to figure and Verhoeven takes a daring approach to a subject that is quite delicate. Huppert, who plays a video game company owner, has one of the best performances of 2016. She is a layered character with depth. She's likable, she's hatable, and we're scared for her. This is a shocking piece of art that manages to stay away from being over the top. It's a delicate subject matter that is handled crassly at times and subtly at others.

This is very unpredictable and complex and dark and real. You know there are people out there like the characters in the movie and that should terrify us all. If you're easily freaked out or get nightmares easily you should probably stay away. Final Score: 7.8/10.