Isabelle Huppert plays Michèle, the woman referenced in the title. Some reviewers have remarked on there being humor in this, but I would not advise anyone to go to this expecting any knee slappers. The opening scene features a brutal rape that makes it hard to imagine its being filmed more graphically. That scene sets the tone. If you are looking for sadomasochism, infidelity, lesbianism, and masturbation, you will find it here. Mix in some repugnant scenes from a video game being developed by Michèle's company, a car crash, and Michele's detailing the exploits of the mass killings of her father and you have a movie that is difficult to watch.
Maybe the humor is to view this as a satire on a certain segment of upscale, tech-savvy French society, but if that was the intended takeaway, it flew over my head.
Huppert gives a strong, nuanced performance and that was pretty much the only thing I could appreciate. Michèle is a woman who, after the initial rape, picks up the phone and, instead of calling the police, orders out. That certainly turns the current attitude toward rape on its head, until you understand that Michèle has some private reasons for not going public. But the scene does alert the audience of Michèle's being a strong-willed force of nature. I can't think of any admirable male character in this. Is part of the message, "Men bad?"
In sitting through a difficult movie like this, I hope for some compensatory reward, but this movie did not pay off for me.
Maybe the humor is to view this as a satire on a certain segment of upscale, tech-savvy French society, but if that was the intended takeaway, it flew over my head.
Huppert gives a strong, nuanced performance and that was pretty much the only thing I could appreciate. Michèle is a woman who, after the initial rape, picks up the phone and, instead of calling the police, orders out. That certainly turns the current attitude toward rape on its head, until you understand that Michèle has some private reasons for not going public. But the scene does alert the audience of Michèle's being a strong-willed force of nature. I can't think of any admirable male character in this. Is part of the message, "Men bad?"
In sitting through a difficult movie like this, I hope for some compensatory reward, but this movie did not pay off for me.