Never before have I thrown my notebook at a film screening.
I've always had a good sense of when a horror film is going to strike, and attempt to frighten you out of your seat. But in this genre-bending psychological thriller from Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct) the brutal violence comes out of nowhere - and the notebook soared.
The signs were there. The opening scene begins with a woman being sexually assaulted in her home. We learn a lot about Michele (Huppert) by what follows immediately afterwards; she's clearly distressed and shaken, but rather than call the police she cleans herself up, throws her ruined dress in the rubbish and orders in food. Michele is a woman who handles things her own way.
She is a successful and ruthless business woman who co-owns with her best friend Anna (Consigny) an animation company that makes highly sexualised and violent computer games. When her assailant makes contact soon after the assault, Michele realises it is probably someone she knows and begins a twisted game of cat-and-mouse to reveal the assailant's identity. It's a dark, Machiavellian power play that leaves you wondering who's enjoying the game more, Michele or her mysterious rapist.
