“So in the midst of all of this season’s Oscar speculation, Isabelle Huppert’s name kept popping up as a possible contender. Without knowing anything about the movie other than it was a French film and I’d never heard of this actress before, my initial reaction was that I kinda hoped she wouldn’t make the cut because I wasn’t too keen on tracking down this movie to watch it. Then I heard the premise and I was intrigued, hoping the movie would be in the race so that I would make a point to see it. Lo and behold, Huppert did get nominated for Best Actress, and I found a cute little indie theater in Santa Monica that was showing it.
I’m kinda at a loss to describe the plot. The usual quick summary I’ve seen is that it’s about a woman who tries to track down the assailant who raped her in her home. But that’s only one of the many messes she’s dealing with. And yet she’s the least victimized victim I’ve ever seen on screen. She is one tough as nails woman, fully capable of handling everything that is thrown at her. It’d be inspiring if she wasn’t quite as cold and austere.
What I loved (besides the simple fact that the subject matter was very dark) was that this character is so strong and complex, certainly the strongest of the nominees in that respect. I was in awe of her performance and impressed by the screenplay. The two worked together beautifully, and I’m glad that the awards recognition forced me to see this movie.
Elle – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/”