ELLE

With an election year in full swing, women’s issues are at the forefront.  Does a woman have the right to say what happens with her body?  How does a woman protect herself against being attacked?  Well, Isabelle Huppert knows the answers to those questions better than anyone as she  tackles these very issues in her latest thriller ELLE.

Huppert portrays successful businesswoman (Michele LeBlanc), who desperately attempts to track down the unknown man who has attacked her.

ELLE is an intriguing game of cat and mouse once the attacker’s identity is revealed.  Honestly, you don’t know whether to be appalled or turned on. Not to mention the plot twists, which sets you for a loop revolving around the relationship of Michele’s childhood and her Dad.

I honestly can’t talk about the film without ruining the plot for you, but I can and will reveal this…Isabelle Huppert is no joke!!!

Her performance is so interestingly layered with complex sexuality and vulnerability that you will walk away shouting “Give that doll an Oscar..like yesterday”.  If for nothing else, the stunts she performed (initially without padding) are mind-boggling.  Especially after meeting her, you realize how small in stature and size she is.  Her body doesn’t look like it could withstand the abuse you witness as an audience member.  She may be the best in France, but Isabelle Huppert is simply the best…period. This performance will very well be touted as a tour de force for the petite powerhouse.

Director Paul Verhoeven does an exemplary job of adapting the action so vividly described in Phillipe Djian’s novel.  The array of emotions and the roller-coaster ride expereinced throughout are just some the best I have witnessed since Diane Lane and Richard Gere in `

I especially love the symbolism of the black cat being present right before something unsavory is about to go down.

Elle is a must-see, through provoking, erotic, suspenseful thriller that rivals only this Hitchcock classics we know and love!

AFI FEST 2016 presented by Audi will honor Isabelle Huppert with a Tribute and a Gala screening at the festival. The Tribute will celebrate her storied career and will include a conversation with the actress, followed by a Gala screening of Sony Pictures Classics’ ELLE (directed by Paul Verhoeven) on Sunday, November 13.