By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Malgorzata Szumowska
Starring: Anaïs Demoustier | Joanna Kulig | Juliette Binoche | Krystyna Janda | Louis-Do de Lencquesaing
Country: france, germany, poland
Year: 2012
Running time: 99
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262414/
Bruce says: “Few stars are lovelier than the radiant Juliette Binoche. Her appeal is not superficial for she radiates an inner beauty that infuses her characters. As Anne, a reporter for Elle Magazine, Binoche adds another layer. She comes from a gifted class, her lifestyle is enviable, and her husband successful. Her current assignment is a story on teenage prostitutes – not the streetwalking kind, the high-end girls. Anne zeros in on two girls Lola and Alicja. She spends many hours asking questions, visiting them at home, even going out with them. During the interviews, Anne’s lovely persona is infused with a touch of condescension. It is subtle and perfect. When Anne asks the girls leading questions, they call her on it immediately every time. One of the girls asks Anne a personal question. Anne replies, ‘We’re not here to talk about me.’
“For a woman who has it all Anne is shocked to find that the young girls in her article happen to love the life they lead. They do not find sex repulsive, but they have strict parameters and rare instances where clients get out of hand. Anne is shocked to discover that they are treated with respect and that during a two hour engagement with a client more time is spent talking than having sex. Their clients are men who need a sexual outlet but the emotional component of the encounter is a hidden aspect of the dynamic.
“Alicja (Joanna Kulig) is from Poland. She has lied to her parents about her life in Paris. She is picked up by a young Arab man when she first arrives. She quickly figures out sex is part of getting a roof over her head. Lola (Anaïs Demoustier) has many regulars most of whom love her company. She seems to enjoy them, too. Lola has a steady boyfriend who at first is flexible with her evasive lifestyle but becomes more possessive with time. Both girls are interested in studying and earning degrees.
“Anne visits her father in hospital and during the visit gives him a foot massage lovingly; it is the same tenderness expressed minutes earlier by Lola when a client is frustrated by premature ejaculation. Anne’s husband Patrick is tolerant of her career; nonetheless he expects all wifely duties performed as though wife and mother were the only roles. Wifely duties no longer concern sex, however; this relationship has no intimacy, no sexuality, no love. It has run out of gas. He talks down to her; the children talk back. Just before a dinner party he says to Anne, ‘Promise me no feminist stuff.’ After Florent, their older son, is missing for a couple of days, Anne is blamed.
“Anne’s attitude shifts and she begins to treat Lola and Alijca more like equals. Towards the end of the film there is a wonderful fantasy sequence. It is a bold statement and summarizes Anne’s transformation beautifully. The film should have ended there. Instead it lumbers on tediously, telling us nothing we already didn’t already know or surmise. 4 cats
“(ELLES screened as part of the 2012 Tribeca International film Festival.)”