Malgorzata Szumowska's Elles (2011) is a film with high artistic merit.
Something that didn't agree with me as I watched the film were the rather explicit sexual scenes between the college girl prostitutes and their clients. I thought these sexually explicit scenes were purely gratuitous and added nothing to the story, and probably detracted from the artistic merit of the film. However, at the very end of the film, the sex scenes suddenly fell into place for me and I was able to understand that they were integral to the story, and did, in fact, complement the whole artistry of the film.
However, the one weak aspect of the film that still doesn't agree with me is Anne's (Juliette Binoche) appearance, that of her hair and her face. For most of the film, except for the dinner party, Anne looked downright haggard. Her hair was just a mess and looked like she stuck it a clothes dryer. Her face not only was lacking make up, it appeared that they did something to her face to make it look even more pale, and even corpse-like. It was not a good look to me, and I have no idea what effect the filmmaker was going for there but it didn't work for me. Anne needn't have been "dolled up", but she didn't need that "fishmonger" look that they gave her either.
The film, through a non-linear, and even fragmented narrative successfully juxtaposed the realities of a woman having to sell her body for financial survival with the woman's role in a standard domestic setting. As Anne alluded to her husband toward the end of the film, the social norms and the morality of our culture put all women in somewhat of a position to sell their sexuality for success in their lives, in one form or another.
The cinematography in this film is rather stunning, and the radical editing was appropriate for the overall dramatic effect of the film.
This film, for me, is one where the viewer best reserve his judgment until the film is finished. After viewing this whole film, it is easier to discern that it is more than simply the sum of its parts.
Something that didn't agree with me as I watched the film were the rather explicit sexual scenes between the college girl prostitutes and their clients. I thought these sexually explicit scenes were purely gratuitous and added nothing to the story, and probably detracted from the artistic merit of the film. However, at the very end of the film, the sex scenes suddenly fell into place for me and I was able to understand that they were integral to the story, and did, in fact, complement the whole artistry of the film.
However, the one weak aspect of the film that still doesn't agree with me is Anne's (Juliette Binoche) appearance, that of her hair and her face. For most of the film, except for the dinner party, Anne looked downright haggard. Her hair was just a mess and looked like she stuck it a clothes dryer. Her face not only was lacking make up, it appeared that they did something to her face to make it look even more pale, and even corpse-like. It was not a good look to me, and I have no idea what effect the filmmaker was going for there but it didn't work for me. Anne needn't have been "dolled up", but she didn't need that "fishmonger" look that they gave her either.
The film, through a non-linear, and even fragmented narrative successfully juxtaposed the realities of a woman having to sell her body for financial survival with the woman's role in a standard domestic setting. As Anne alluded to her husband toward the end of the film, the social norms and the morality of our culture put all women in somewhat of a position to sell their sexuality for success in their lives, in one form or another.
The cinematography in this film is rather stunning, and the radical editing was appropriate for the overall dramatic effect of the film.
This film, for me, is one where the viewer best reserve his judgment until the film is finished. After viewing this whole film, it is easier to discern that it is more than simply the sum of its parts.