Elle (3 Stars)

I remember liking this film a lot when I saw it in the cinema six years ago. Today I was less impressed. Maybe it's because I was concentrating on the plot more the second time round? Or maybe I'm just in a different mood.

The basic story is that Michèle, a wealthy 49-year-old woman in Paris, is raped in her house. Despite being traumatised, she doesn't show it outwardly. She doesn't go to the police. She turns up at work the next day as if nothing has happened. When her son asks about her bruises she says that she fell off her bike. Maybe a reason for her complacency is that she's the owner of a video game company that makes violent computer games, including rape scenes.

The trouble with the film is that there are too many sub-plots. She's a woman with a turbulent past. When she was 10 her father killed 27 people in one evening. I believe that's called a spree killer. He'd never killed anyone before this day, he just went crazy. The trouble is that the media portrayed Michèle as his accomplice, but she was too young to stand trial. Was she guilty? It's difficult to say. She didn't prevent her father killing anyone, but that doesn't mean she was an active participant.

Everyone in Michèle's family is messed up. Her ex-husband is dating a young woman. Her mother is having an affair with a man young enough to be her grandson. Her son is dating a woman who's prone to violent outbursts. Added to all this, Michèle is having an affair with her best friend's husband.

That all makes the film complex. Too complex for me. I'd prefer a film that sticks to the main story without too many diversions.

Success Rate:  - 0.6

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