Isabelle Hupert Stars in the Trailer for the Controversial Thriller, Elle

Posted on September 1, 2016

Isabelle Huppert stars in the first trailer for the French psychological thriller Elle, directed by Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct). Isabelle Huppert is Michele, a successful businesswoman who heads up a top video game company. Her life is turned upside down when she is assaulted in her own home by an unknown male. Determined to find the man who raped her, Michele uses her substantial resources and intelligence to find her assailant.

She finds him and begins a dangerous cat and mouse game with him. In the trailer she casually mentions the assault to her colleagues at dinner. Shocked, they ask if she is okay. She says she is fine. At that point the waiter shows up with celebratory champagne. A colleague tells him to wait a few minutes before popping the cork. Michele acts as if all is well, but all is not well.

In face, there is quite a bit more to Michele than meets the eye. She is powerful and ruthless and she really wants to get revenge on her rapist, while she manages to project that all is well at work and in her personal life.

The film is based on the novel Oh by Philippe Djian; it was adapted for the screen by David Burke. Elle premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and got rave reviews. The film is provocative and violent: Verhoeven said he could not make it in the U.S., as American actresses were wary about taking on the role. The film is in French with English subtitles and looks absolutely gripping. It hits U.S. theaters on November 11th. Take a look: Take a look:

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