Showing @ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 8 Nov only
Malgorzata Szumowska / France/Poland/Germany / 2011 / 99 min
A half-hearted study of the world of student prostitution, Elles explores the lives of 3 women in Paris: Anne (Juliette Binoche), Charlotte (Anaïs Demoustier) and Alicja (Joanna Kulig). Two young students are interviewed by the journalist Anne, who attempts to uncover the reality of this demanding trade. As the film progresses she finds herself enthralled by the hidden world she has encountered. We track her journey as she begins to greatly re-evaluate her own married life, and tries to reposition her sexual role among the many required of the modern woman.
A focus on prostitution is well-trodden subject matter, and Elles struggles to lift itself from presenting inevitable clichés, from the well-heeled and emotionally blithe prostitutes, to their (for the most part) charming and charismatic clients. This is a rosy and glossy portrayal of prostitution, with the two young students highly sketched and one-dimensional. Juliette Binoche, a fail-safe choice in search of a magnetic protagonist, carries the film despite its hollow idealism, portraying Anne’s humanity far more effectively than her stereotyped interview subjects. Elles utterly fails as a study of prostitution – it has nothing new to say on this subject. However, it yields interest in its examination of a contemporary shift in values for the nature of marriage and monogamy.