Based on Betty Blue author Philippe Dijan’s novel Oh, this controversial revenge melodrama is the first film in 10 years from Dutch director Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, Total Recall, Robocop). Now in his late 70s, he retains his trademark blackly-comic, provocative approach to serious issues, in this case the effects of an attack on its lead character, Michele. According to Verhoeven, he originally intended to relocate the action from Paris to the USA, but concluded that “no American actress would ever take on such an amoral movie”.

Elle was nominated for the Cannes Palme d’Or and has won a slew of awards, particularly for Huppert. The role of Michele earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination, unusually for a foreign language film, and a second Best Actress Cesar (the first being for La Ceremonie in 1995 – she has the most Cesar nominations of any actress). The film’s sexual politics have been fiercely debated – subversive post-feminism or misogynistic exploitation?

“It’s almost impossible to imagine anyone else carrying off such a slippery role … with such a poised and meticulously detailed lead performance at its heart, rich in ambiguities and resonant overtones, the film is not only consistently compelling but pleasingly thought-provoking.” Geoff Andrew, Sight and Sound

“It is both an impeccably Gallic delicacy and a gleeful parody of Frenchness, in particular the kind of decorous, exquisitely decorated Parisian lifestyle voyeurism that contributes so much to the national cinematic brand.” AO Scott, New York Times

“Audiences arriving for a lurid slab of arthouse exploitation will be taken off-guard by the complex, compassionate, often corrosively funny examination of unconventional desires that awaits them.” Guy Lodge, Variety

73 nominations and 60 wins including