agmtw logo
search

Elle (2016)

Elle (2016)

7.1

An always-excellent Isabelle Huppert powers this thrilling French revenge film

Movie

Belgium, France
French
Crime, Drama, Thriller
2016
imdb
rt
wiki

What it's about

When Michèle, the CEO of a gaming software company, is attacked in her home by an unknown assailant, she refuses to let it alter her precisely ordered life. She manages crises involving family, all the while becoming engaged in a game of cat and mouse with her stalker.

The take

Arch-provocateur Paul Verhoeven received widespread acclaim for his assured and darkly funny adaptation of Philippe Dijan’s award-winning novel, his first film in the French language. 

It’s a controversial revenge thriller about a domineering businesswoman who is raped in her home by a masked man. Refusing to let the attack affect her life, she refuses to report the incident and tracks down the assailant herself.

Verhoeven directs the material with confidence and a troubling lightness of touch, while fearless Isabelle Huppert gives one of the best performances of her long and illustrious career. Some people found Elle empowering while others felt it perpetuated misogynistic attitudes. Either way, it makes for a passionate post-viewing discussion.

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Laapataa Ladies (2024)

Two brides are accidentally swapped in this refreshing comedy of errors

8.4

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

A romance from France like no other

8.2

Munich (2005)

8.8

Divines (2016)

Half female buddy movie, half French gangster thriller

9.0

The Red Shoes (1948)

A fantastical, transcendent Technicolor classic that stands as the definitive ballet drama

9.5

The Killer (2023)

A perfectly pitched crime thriller that's David Fincher's best film in a decade

7.5

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Raw and absorbing drama with two unbelievably gripping lead performances

9.0

Manon of the Springs (1986)

Continuing the story of Jean de Florette, Manon of the Springs follows a quiet young woman who must avenge her father and protect the springs from two crooked men

7.5

Emilia Pérez (2024)

Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez return to their roots in this multinational crime musical drama

7.5

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007)

If this visually breath-taking and heart-wrenching film doesn't make you cry, nothing will.

9.0

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2025 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.