Elles (Malgoska Szumowska, 2011)

 

It's true that most American movies play it safe. Meaning that they refuse to really dare the audience in any way. I am not saying that daring the audience is a necessity, I simply point that American culture lies more and mostly on the entertainment part of art. Surely there are exceptions to this rule and if you look at Russ Meyer's movies and consider when did he make them, you'll understand that there were people in America who thought that provoking the audience would be an interesting thing to do, but these are exceptions to a rule which says that American cinema can easily become annoyingly conservative many times. In Europe things are quite different. Here we are not eager to go by the norm and to "satisfy" even the most Republican viewer. Here we are more interested in getting a comment, a message out there regardless what the reaction from the audience might be. And that's why if you're looking for... strong cinema drinks you should preferably look towards Europe and not to USA.

Elles is an absolutely fearless, bold and impressively daring movie. The story is quite simple. A journalist is writing an article on female student prostitution so she finds two women who want to talk to her. She thinks that she will find misery and sorrow. On the contrary she finds freedom and power in those women. She then starts to question her own settled life and her sexuality. That kind of boldness, that kind of feminist comment can only be deeply appreciated. You see the movie offers a huge question about the morality of our own society and how happy we are, all of us, who think that having a family and a "nice" husband is the answer to happiness in life. The Polish female director and co-writer of the movie is clearly provoking us to go into a deep thought about our settle ideals and life. And that's what uncompromising art is all about. To speak the obvious in your artistic creation is one thing that you can do and probably you will be loved for that, but really laying a huge question on the table, a question that will even divide people and make some of them really hate you, is a courageous act and one that few people dare to do. But that's where real, authentic art with huge balls can be found.