Élisa (1995) User Reviews

She's so bad

[bob998 · 6/10 · 23 August 2006]

I don't think Jean Becker is a very interesting director; the two films I have seen--L'Été meurtrier and this one--don't show any great stylistic ability. You remember L'Été for Adjani's performance as an avenging angel, and Vanessa Paradis does the same thing here: she's a one-woman wrecking crew taking on greedy grandparents, the lesbian director of her orphanage, men looking for sex, in fact anybody who gets in her way.

The film stands or falls on the power and charisma of its star, and Vanessa Paradis doesn't disappoint. She is amazingly at ease in front of the camera, as befits a Lancôme model who also started singing at 14. No matter how tawdry the script gets--and that's plenty at times--she sails right through it. She even holds her own with Depardieu, the icon of French film.

It gets better, trust me

[HotToastyRag · 7/10 · 30 July 2019]

The first scene of this French drama was so upsetting, I turned it off and seriously considered not turning it back on again. Florence Thomassin smothers her young daughter with a pillow before committing suicide. Why would anyone want to watch that? I did end up turning it back on and watching the rest of it-otherwise I wouldn't be writing a review-and it got considerably better.

As you probably know, I watched Élisa because of Gérard Depardieu. I'll sit through anything to support my celebrity boyfriend. And while he didn't even come on the screen until the second hour, I was glad I got to see his performance. His character could have easily been turned into a straight villain with no redeeming qualities, but with Gérard's beautiful expressions, it's easy to root for him, even after a very unlikable entrance scene. He puts such thoughtfulness into the role, he actually improves the script without changing a word. Why is he always so great?

The main character, Vanessa Paradis, shows a raw hunger for life, revenge, and love that most of the time makes her incredibly unlikable. However, whether it's her charming beauty or the reminder that she is very young and is only despicable because that's the only way she knows how to survive, the audience can't help but hope she gets her act together. She's spent her entire life without a mother and hating an absent father, scamming and stealing with her friends, Clotilde Courau and Sekkou Sall. Her actions are truly awful, but when she finally decides to track down her dad and get some answers, the audience sees she's trying to create a better life.

If you liked Obsession, check out this film. That one was a thriller and this one is more of an indie drama, but they're similar enough that you'll probably like both.

Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving children, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

My thoughts

[withnail-1 · 15 December 2003]

This was an incredibly moving and under-rated film. it is basically about a girl who loses her parents and tries to reconstruct a surrogate family from her friends on the street. in the end she meets up with her father, intent on killing him at first... but fate takes another turn. vannessa paradis is incredible in this film and showed the world that she is a talented actress. i highly recommend this film.

Beautiful...

[silversarchan · 10/10 · 21 February 2003]

after waiting days to see this film, because i live in the US, i finally got it in the mail. and let me tell you, i was very impressed. vanessa paradis, (being my favorite singer and actress) was simply lovely. i've never seen her in a better role (besides her stunning role in 1999's "la fille sur le pont/girl on the bridge")

this film had so many emotions in it. revenge, love, hate, friendship. it was all tied in it throughout the movie. the soundtrack was absolutely superb, and gerard depardieu's performance was excellent, as always. also, (i don't remember her name) the actress who played solange was very good as well. if you want to see a beautifully-crafted french film, see this one. US viewers will have to purchase it from either ebay or from a UK website (you'll have to get it transferred into NTSC format if you wish to choose that option) i just got mine off of ebay already subtitled, and in the correct format. i'm telling you, you will not be dissapointed!

Great movie, great acting

[poka_dan · 10/10 · 24 April 2006]

Both Gerard Depardieu and Vanessa Paradis put out an outstanding performance. Yes Vanessa Paradis is a great actress. This is a must see movie for anybody with a young spirit.

This was an incredibly moving and under-rated film. it is basically about a girl who loses her parents and tries to reconstruct a surrogate family from her friends on the street. in the end she meets up with her father, intent on killing him at first... but fate takes another turn. Vanessa Paradis is incredible in this film and showed the world that she is a talented actress. i highly recommend this film.

And by the way it is such a pity you have to fill in all the ten lines of text (the minimum). It is such a bummer ,realy.

Interesting Jean Becker film with a tres sexy Vanessa Paradis

[lazarillo · 22 January 2012]

This is a film by Jean Becker who directed "One Deadly Summer", one of the first films of Isabel Adjani back in the early 80's. The plot is very similar to "One Deadly Summer" with a sexy, grown-up orphan out to take revenge on all the people who drove her mother, the "Elisa" of the title, to suicide. Vanessa Paradis, the lead in this one, did not go on to have the illustrious career of Adjani (she is probably most famous today as Johnny Depp's long-time girlfriend), but she gives a pretty good performance here, especially compared to many of her other roles where she too often had little to do but stand around and look pretty.

Paradis' character "Marie" does not start out particularly sympathetic. She gets released from the orphanage by threatening to out the director as a lesbian, and she and her friends make their living by swindling mom-and-pop shopkeepers. She also assaults her elderly grandparents, seduces and then humiliates her mother's former "sugar daddy", initiates a twelve-year-old Muslim boy into sex, and when she finally meets her long-lost pimp/pianist father (Gerard Depardieu) one of the first things she does is take off all her clothes and try to crawl into bed with him! As the move progresses, however, her character becomes more and more sympathetic (as her tragic childhood is fleshed-out via flashbacks of her mother), and by the end the movie ends up being quite touching.

Paradis had played a role very similar to this (when she actually was about 17) in her debut "Noce Blanche", but she had obviously developed into a more self-assured actress by this film. Needless, to say she is very sexy, as is her nymphomaniacal friend/partner in crime (Clotilde Coreau). Depardieu is good as always (the movie is dedicated to Serg Gainsbourg and Depardieu's role might be somewhat of a homage to the late, great pianist/torch singer as well). I'd recommend this one.

A very strong film

[claudine.bordereaux · 24 October 2000]

The whole film took me into a carousel of emotions: anger, longing for the mother, the sense of betrayal. Marie (Vanessa Paradis took me by surprise in a swirl. Gerard Depardieu is a great actor who's not afraid to try all sorts of roles, only they show the true human nature. This film moved me. very deep and although I did not have much of respect for Vanessa, in this film she proved herself to be a good actress. I got very moved by two songs and I've been surfing on the film site and others in order to find them. I just saw the film recently on YV and did not have the time to register the title and the artists. The first song is showing for a very short while 2 musicians and a little girl in the metro, starting to sing a wonderful (Romenian?)song. The second is when Depardieu is on the beach, at night, drinking down his pain, while the music is crying on the tape-recorder he brought with him. An italian song, I should think. Please, help me to find the right songs and their interpreters. you'll make me very happy. I was so moved. I'd love to know if the music is on Cd or if the artists have their respective CD

Friendly greetings from Claudine