ELLO, ELLO Cinémoi reviews Malgoska Szumowska’s new film Elles, starring Juliette Binoche
The good ol’ journalist-workaholic type: passionate, devoted and totally immersed in the task at hand. Once they get going, there’s no stopping them. And when they come out the other side… voila! - transformation for better or worse. Polish director Malgoska Szumowska’s new film, Elles, casts an eye on one such character. Juliette Binoche plays Anne, an affluent Parisian journalist. Her new article for ELLE magazine is about student prostitution. As she gets closer to her two young subjects, she starts to see her own life anew, questioning her own position as a mother, wife and, above all, a woman. In the beginning she’s very much on the outside of things, at first slightly uncomfortable as a girl explains the gory details of what her job entails. But Anne stays strong; she prides herself as a liberal – and a feminist, according to her husband – so to her, being non-judgemental will always be paramount.
Words By Oliver Lunn
“Binoche turns in another stellar performance: affecting, compelling and seemingly effortless” Binoche’s character is rooted in the urbanite career woman tradition; think Faye Dunnaway in Network, or Jane Fonda in The China Syndrome. These women are go-getters, obsessive and, most of the time, self-centred. But what sets Binoche’s character apart from these workaholics is her sensitivity, her intimacy with her subjects and how this changes her outlook more generally. And it’s this transformation, I think, that’s at the heart of Elles, not the subject of her article, i.e. student prostitution. As you’d expect, Binoche turns in another stellar performance: affecting, compelling and seemingly effortless. So incredibly relaxed is she in the role that you wonder whether she’s really acting at all or simply being Binoche (masturbation scene aside, perhaps). Either way, Binoche does Binoche well. As for the film itself, the main drive of the narrative is Anne’s article, which we never read, nor do we ever know if it goes down well with her boss and readers. But what’s more important, though, is the affect it has on her life. Will it tear her family apart or bring them more close together? Fans of Binoche will savour every sip, as she’s in practically every scene. One shot even holds on her, in close-up, so we can appreciate all the minutiae of her expression, magnified: a virtuoso performance indeed. Being a fan myself of this kind of character-driven, heavily actor-reliant film, I felt it worked very well; even if there were a tad too many Binoche-isms. À bientôt!
Elles is in cinemas 20 April via Artificial Eye
An Interview with Malgoska Szumowska Why did you become interested in the topic ? I heard about it when I was in Denmark and I thought it would be an interesting experience to make a movie about student prostitution in France while being a foreigner. It brings in a different perspective. So I did a lot of research as always. First in Poland where it is called “sponsoring�. I went online and tried to talk to different women and I met with one of them.
What made you decide to make this movie ? The topic fascinated me because it tells so much about our modern condition. We live in this consumption circle. People are often very lonely and looking for a presence. We need to fill in a gap and some people do it through sex. The movie is also part of my privacy. I am not a director for rent and I put a lot of emotions in this movie. The script itself is a collaboration between co-writer Tine Byrckel, Juliette Binoche and myself.
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How did this movie influence your opinion on student prostitution ? It completely changed my perspective. I was very surprised by what the women I talked to had to tell me. They seemed to be fine with what they were doing. They did not feel any shame or guilt. I was very shocked at first. Not shocked because I am prudish but more because I did not expect this reaction at all. These women are not victims, they do this by choice. But obviously the reality of the job is not that nice and that is why in my movie I added few sadistic clients.
It seems like there is a lot of you in Anna’s character – played by Juliette Binoche ? Indeed, Anna’s journey reflects mine. She changes her mind and the movie focuses also on her evolution. She is a journalist and curious about it. Life is full of experiences and this one is definitely very different from her world. You know, it is very easy to think “I would never do this” or “I am better than that”. I was very judgmental but I also realized how difficult it is to be a student here and now. Also, one does know through which trauma people go through
How does shooting in foreign language affect your work? It was very interesting to direct actors and an entire crew in another language. I lived in Paris for a year.
“You know, it is very easy to think “I would never do this” or “I am better than that”. I was very judgmental but I also realized how difficult it is to be a student here and now.” My son went to école maternelle (nursery) there. But I do not speak French. It was a fun experience as well as fulfilling work wise. As I did not understand words, I could let my emotions lead me.
Would you say that your movie is feminist? I never intended to make a feminist movie but I can understand why people say that. Personally, I did not think that feminists would like it, but in Poland they did. It does deal with independent women and their desire so I understand why they would like it.
How did you feel when you learn that Elles was going to open Kinoteka film festival ? I am very happy that Elles opened the Kinoteka film festival. It is very meaningful to me. There is an important Polish community in London so it is meaningful to me. Also, I often wonder how it is to be Polish here. The immigrants are mostly poor and it is interesting for me to see why people live abroad and how they manage to live with several cultures. It could be good material for a future project.
Interview conducted by Sarah Bonnefoi