The four of us. That’s L, myself and the boys head up to Manchester
this morning to move Daughter home. She has moved several times in the past and
the first time we moved her stuff a wheelbarrow would almost have been sufficient,
the second time it required a car, then several cars, then a small van and this
time a large van. Presumably next time we’ll require a HGV.
We meet our man with a van, my old pal from school, around
12 noon. We fill the car and almost fill the van. So, yes, I do need to start
looking at HGV prices for next time.
Other than that, things go well. Her landlord comes round
and doesn’t spot the subtle damage in the bathroom but he probably will later,
after we’ve legged it.
Once back in Nottingham the problem is storing the stuff as she’s
not ready to move into her new place yet. It’s amazing how inventive you can
be.
Tonight an AF night preparing for the Coventry Half Marathon
with the film ‘Elle’ at Broadway.
The film opens with a violent rape. The victim of which is
Michèle (Isabelle Huppert), the co-owner of a video game company which seem to
specialize in particularly violent video games and she gets an unwanted dose of
her own genre. Her assailant is dressed all in black and wearing a mask. After doing
the deed, he is quickly gone.
After a few moments, Michèle gets up, blames the cat and
then cleans up the crime scene before getting in the bath with a glass of wine
in her hand. She doesn't call the police but instead orders a takeaway. It
isn't until much later, when she is out with a group of friends that she tells
anyone.
It's safe to say, that this isn't your typical film about
rape. The film asks you to figure out Michèle and while you’re at it, her
oddball collection of friends, relatives and work colleagues.
These include her ex-husband Richard (Charles Berling), whom
she still seems to fancy although he is now seeing a young student of whom Michèle
is very jealous. Then there’s her mother Irène (Judith Magre) who has hired a gigolo
called Ralph and her son Vincent (Jonas Bloquet) who is moving into a new
apartment, that Michèle is expected to pay for, with his domineering girlfriend
Josie (Alice Isaaz). Josie is pregnant by another man but Vincent claims it is
his, even after it is born and is of mixed race.
Oh, and her father is a convicted serial killer, which caused
her to have a somewhat difficult childhood and this is given as the reason she
doesn’t trust the police as well as perhaps an explanation for her chosen profession
in violent video games. It could also explain why she is fantasizing about a return
visit from her attacker who has been sending her text messages.
She does at least change the locks and arm herself with pepper
spray before getting back to work on the latest release from her company. Where
she finds that one of her employees has made her a feature of the new game. She
incorrectly links this to her attack and gets another employer to investigate his
colleagues as well as getting him to drop his trousers to rule him out as a
suspect.
Meanwhile Michèle is having an affair with her best friend
and business partner Anna’s (Anne Consigny) husband Robert (Christian Berkel)
but who she really has the hots for is her neighbour Patrick (Laurent Lafitte),
whom she watches through binoculars with her hand down her knickers pleasuring
herself.
She’s a bit mixed up perhaps and when the identity of the
rapist is revealed it gives this cocktail another stir. Is it all a consensual S&M
relationship? Whatever, she still seems to want revenge on her assailant for igniting
such traits in her.
Director Paul Verhoeven has created a dark satire on relationships
and I rather liked it. There is plenty here to get you thinking, if you can
see through the un-PC-ness of it all. It's rumoured that no major American
actress would take on the role of Michèle, which was good news of course because
Isabelle Huppert is terrific and well backed by her supporting cast.
(Saturday 18
th March)
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