"Elles" : Bland Parisian Love for Pay

Juliette Binoche is by far one of the greatest actresses of our time. She has a range of performances (both in English and French) that is hard to keep track with, and has been awarded the most important accolades possible, perhaps that is why "Elles" feels a bit too small for her. "Elles" which  means "They" referring to females, is a story that takes place over the course of one day in the life of Anne (Binoche) who is a journalist finishing up an article about students that practice prostitution to support themselves.

The premise is interesting on the surface, but perhaps its the execution that fails to engage. Like I mentioned we start a day in the life of Anne and her family, but we are presented with flashbacks from her meetings with the  young "escorts". One of them is a young French girl named Charlotte (Anais Demoustier)  who comes from a working class background and who is trying to pay for her studies while living a comfortable life. Then there is Alicia (Joanna Kulig) a Polish student also trying to pay her studies even if this means to sell her body. The film is not trying to tackle the entire spectrum of prostitution, but rather focuses on these niche of poor school girls who,  apparently, cant find any other way but to sell sex to get ahead in life. While Anne questions them, it is obvious there is some sort of verbal voyeurism, as her questions get more and more intimate, and her curiosity or academic interest seems to give way to mere erotic talk.

The main question presented is why? why do they do it? is it just for the money? or is it a nymphomaniac reaction to their troubles? Anne seems to find in these sex stories, a gateway to free herself for her bourgeois lifestyle which include a busy and absent husband, a trouble teenager, and young son who is addicted to video games. In a house full of men, Anne needs to feel liberated and in a quasi-feminist manner she rebels by siding with her subjects. Binoche is superb in her role, you believe the eroticism, you believe the emptiness in her contempt life, but she cant carry the film on her shoulder entirely. After all it is titled "They" not "She". It becomes hard to believe that she has enough reasons to feel these connections to young prostitutes, other than she is bored.Although the rest of the cast is acceptable in their roles is perhaps the story that doesn't succeed in exploring something really meaningful.

The film does accomplish to place Anne in a life that is plain and with a lack of excitement. Her house is filled with white and light colors, not a lot of visual contrast. So, when we go to her erotic flashbacks the colors resonate and that works to separate her real life and the memories she dwells in. "Elles" got an NC-17 rating because of the sex scenes, but if you are looking for something crazily shocking you rather watch something more explicit. There is sex in there, yes, but nothing that hasn't been shown before, specially not in a French film. Not a film for everyone as it is indeed too plain and with no real assertiveness to show something unique, or to even raise any new questions about "the world's oldest profession". Thanks to the great Binoche the film is not a complete failure as her acting skills really make you, at times, get involved with her character. Just for her, "Elles" still manages to get a Grade C. Out on Blu-ray and DVD this upcoming Tuesday for those who are up for a taste of bland Parisian love for pay.