last time I was surprised by director Paul Van Hoven’s work had to be traced back to 2006's "Frightening Black Book", and the classics that went on were in the ninth century. In the early decade of the decade, "Instinct" challenged many people's perceptions. This time, "Elle" directed by Van Hoven has a metaphorical magic and charm, which makes the audience pleased that the 78-year-old director's treasure is not old.
It is undeniable that Van Hoven is a master of narrative. He is good at using effective and exaggerated means of expression and sensory stimulation to attract the attention of the audience, but his skill is not so good. He is also good at amplifying emotions and creating suspense through audiovisual. Kirk said: "Suspense is the most effective way to keep the audience's attention." However, Van Hoven is not just satisfied with this. He is good at reversing the plot between the beginning and the end. His works bred a lot of meaning in the constant tension, and from time to time they challenged the moral bottom line of mankind, disrupted and reset the disorderly and chaotic human relationship to become more complicated and complicated, and then made a statement. People's feelings are closed.
The film is adapted from the novel "Oh..." by the French writer Philip Dillon, and it was named "She" when it was finished. The more appropriate it is. The more the second half of the film, the more the audience can understand the meaning of the title. During the adaptation, the screenwriter also changed the heroine Michelle’s original collector status to the owner of the game company, so a lot of game pictures appeared in the film at the right time, and this adaptation that fits the development of the times also sets an interesting branch for the film. The details are laid out as necessary.
The structure of the film seems loose, but the main line is clear, the rhythm is good, the editing is powerful, and the performance is good. What's more rare is that there are many characters derived from the protagonist, and each person's role is typical, which makes the character complete and three-dimensional, without deviating from the main structure, appearing orderly.
Perhaps some viewers will be surprised by the sudden violations that appeared at the beginning and continue to appear later. They think that finding and identifying the suspect seems to be the key to the film. In fact, this part is just MacGuffin. With the promotion of the plot, through the The patchwork descriptions of Michel's work and life, the revealing of the relationships of various characters, after a few heavy smoke screens, and after dissecting the dark side of human nature, the audience finally came into contact with the core of the event.
The life of our protagonist Michelle can be described as ups and downs and cannot be replicated. People who grow up against the wind must have some skills different from ordinary people in order to gain a foothold in this cold world full of prejudices. What's more, Michelle is now successful enough, and she must have experienced it. After a lot of hardships and tempers, I can endure what ordinary people can't bear. The peculiar childhood experience may give Michelle a strong and strong inner world. She also seems to be in conflict. The identity of her parents is like this, and so is the relationship between her and the abuser. The reason why she divorced from her ex-husband was because her ex-husband beat her, and the audience could foresee that Michel would not let the abuser go away. Many people think that the appearance of the son at a critical moment is accidental, but personally think it is inevitable. "There is no accident in the world, accident is just the inevitable with makeup and mask." It may be recalled that just after the first assault occurred. , Michelle’s "stupid" son came to visit his mother and wondered why his mother was injured while riding a bicycle, but the time that happened in the basement, the son dreamed of Zhou Gong on the sofa upstairs, until the last time... No matter how stupid it is, it should be useful.
In the face of emergencies, Michelle's stress method is also very peculiar, with a calmness that is different from that of ordinary women. She does not call the police. After cleaning the scene, she calmly calls to order takeaways and goes to work the next day. The way she handled the ashes of her mother and the results of visiting her father showed that Michelle had a true idea of what she had to endure over the years. What she said to the pale body of her father reminded me of Kurt Tuho. The words of Fvsky-"Those who hate fiercely must have loved deeply. Those who want to deny the world must have embraced what they are burning now." What is the killing and burning in the old case? It's scary to think about it. After all, the picture of Michelle's childhood is also very smoke-screen effect.
Michelle never suppresses or avoids desires. "The shame is not strong enough to stop us from doing anything", so she will confess to her friends. At the end of the film, her friend forgave her, as May Saten said: "Friendship is to be won, like love. It takes longer than passionate love to take root in life." So, for many years. Friends are willing to abandon their cheating husbands and move in to live with Michel. The French live so casually!
Isabel Huppert, who plays Michelle, "has no role that I dare not play". This time she is radiant, charming, full of shapes, and rich in layers. She thinks: "When I perform, I always prefer to put on a cold face, and then leave the enthusiasm to my private life." In the film, under her calm face, there are thousands of times in the heart. The cold face is just Appearance, what people gradually realize is a strong-willed, energetic, and unfathomable screen image of humanity. She is cold and cunning, and has a character that is close to "abnormal", but she is still a charming woman. .
"Perfection is cold, and sometimes cunning, but flawed people are particularly likable." (May
Saten) (Magazine draft)
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