Paul Verhoeven’s new film Elle was met with a standing ovation at its Cannes Film Festival premiere, netting rapturous reviews from critics and special attention for star Isabelle Huppert’s tremendous performance. Now preparing for its stateside debut, Elle is shaping up to be one of this fall’s most anticipated foreign-language films.
The movie, based on the 2012 Philippe Djian novel Oh…, centers on Michèle (Huppert), the head of a successful video game company and a recent survivor of sexual assault. After being attacked in her own home, Michèle struggles to integrate herself back into regular life and eventually tracks her assailant down. Elle evolves into a provocative thriller as this dangerous, emotionally complex cat-and-mouse game ensues—and threatens to spiral out of control.
The film—set for a Nov. 11 theatrical release—marks the French-language debut of Verhoeven, the famed director behind RoboCop and Basic Instinct, among others. And it’s offering yet another exemplary 2016 role for Huppert, coming off her terrific work in Mia Hansen-Love’s Things to Come and Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs. For all that, along with its fascinating aesthetic take on survival and recovery, Elle is looking like a must-watch.
