Elle

“Elle” is a French film based on the novel “Oh…” written by Philippe Dijan (“Betty Blue”) with a screenplay by David Birke. Directed by Paul Verhoeven the movie stars Isabelle Huppert, Charles Berling and Laurent Lafitte in this tale of a woman who is raped and how she copes with the incident. The rape scenes are brutal in their violence and makes the viewing of the film an uneasy experience. What is more uneasy is the mind of the viewer as he or she recalls and tries to understand the theatrical presentation they have just seen for the story is complicated and made even more so by the subtitles. I am sure a French viewer would find the film easier to understand than his or her English-speaking counterpart. All that being said, this film is filled with suspense and mystery and, more than anything else, is a tribute and testament to the talents of Ms. Huppert. Her unbelievable ability to communicate and exude various degrees of emotions and sex appeal without ever uttering a word speaks volumes to her amazing acting ability.  I give the film 3 stars with a warning for the squeamish viewer to beware.