Ciné-Club de l'Alliance: Elle (2016)

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130 minutes | French with English subtitles | Crime, Drama, Thriller

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About the Film

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Actors: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte, Anne Consigny

Isabelle Huppert puts in a Golden Globe worthy performance as Michèle Leblanc. Michèle seems indestructible. Head of a successful video game company, she brings the same ruthless attitude to her love life as to business. Being attacked in her home by an unknown assailant changes Michèle's life forever. When she resolutely tracks the man down, they are both drawn into a curious and thrilling game-a game that may, at any moment, spiral out of control.

Praise

The film was nominated 74 times and won 60 awards. It is Certified Fresh with a 91% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Part thriller, part obsidian-black comedy, part cerebral firebomb, it's confrontational, terrible and glorious.

– Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine

High-risk material yields unexpected rewards in this remarkable rape-revenge drama, a possible career high for Paul Verhoeven.

– Guy Lodge, Variety

About the Director

Born July 18, 1938 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven is a Dutch film director, film producer, television director, television producer, and screenwriter. Verhoeven is active in both the Netherlands and Hollywood. Explicit violent and/or sexual content and social satire are trademarks of both his drama and science fiction films. He is best known for directing the films RoboCop (1987), Total Recall (1990), Basic Instinct (1992), Showgirls (1995), Starship Troopers (1997), and Elle (2016).

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Cake Decorating Class

GASTRONOMY & WINE PROGRAM: YOUR FRENCH CULINARY ARTS AND WINE JOURNEY

Tuesday, August 11, 2026

The French Library is delighted to present this cake decorating class from our Gastronomy & Wine program. This class is designed to teach methods, technique and best practices in cake decorating, while having a fun time in the kitchen.

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