Elle (2016)

Elle poster

SBS Productions
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Laurent Lafitte
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Michèle Leblanc (Isabelle Huppert) is a successful business woman who is attacked in her home, then starts a strange and dangerous dalliance with her assailant.

Featured Feline: Michèle owns a gray cat named Marty. The film begins with a black screen and the sounds of Michèle being attacked. We then see a close up of Marty.

Elle - close up of gray cat Marty

Marty is sitting to one side, watching the action but doing nothing. He then saunters away.

Elle - gray cat Marty watching

Marty is next seen sleeping at the foot of Michèle’s bed.

Elle - gray cat Marty sleeping on bed

In a later scene, Marty comes running and meowing when Michèle comes home.

Elle - gray cat Marty running

The sounds of Marty’s meowing triggers a flashback to the assault.

Elle - close up of gray cat Marty meowing

Right before the attack, Marty was meowing from outside of Michèle’s home. She opened the doors to let the cat in when the intruder burst through.

Elle - gray cat Marty outside French doors

Elle - gray cat Marty coming in through French doors

As she recalls the rape, Marty is again seen sitting to one side watching.

Elle - gray cat Marty sitting and watching

Elle - close up of gray cat Marty watching

Coming back to the present, Michèle picks up Marty and scolds him. “You didn’t have to claw his eyes out but scratch him at least. I’m just saying.”

Elle - Michèle Isabelle Huppert sitting with gray cat Marty

Elle - Michèle Isabelle Huppert holding up gray cat Marty

Elle - gray cat Marty being held up

Still later, Michèle is sitting at home when a bird crashes into one of the doors. Marty is quick to pounce on the sparrow and starts eating it.

Elle - gray cat Marty eating bird

Michèle scolds Marty, trying to get the bird away from him.

Elle - Michèle Isabelle Huppert standing above gray cat Marty eating bird

Elle - gray cat Marty still eating bird

The last time Marty is seen he jumps into Michèle’s arms when she comes in the door after seeing a light on upstairs. It’s a spring-loaded moment, as someone likely threw the cat to her.

Elle - gray cat Marty jumping into Michèle Isabelle Huppert's arms

Elle - Michèle Isabelle Huppert holding gray cat Marty

Marty’s sudden disappearance from the film is due to the fact that originally the cat was supposed to die. According to sources the scenes were filmed but Verhoeven felt that there were already too many deaths in the film and so Marty, at least in the final film, was allowed to live. Marty was also featured in a publicity still used extensively in the film’s promotion.

Elle - Michèle Isabelle Huppert holding up gray cat Marty