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Rating:
Elle Est des Nôtres is a fascinating, if opaque, feature debut from director Siegrid Alnoy. While the story doesn't have a satisfying resolution, the film is psychologically acute, refreshingly unpredictable, and visually splendid. Alnoy and cinematographer Christophe Pollock (In Praise of Love) capture the isolation of the film's lead character, Christine Blanc (Sasha Andres), in inventively cinematic fashion. For example, in one shot, as Christine waits at a bus stop, Pollock shoots her through the foggy glass of the kiosk so that she's in soft focus, while the people standing behind her are amorphous gray blobs. The disjunctive, elliptical editing by Benoît Quinon adds to the feeling of psychological disconnection. The palette is cold and the compositions are distancing, occasionally cutting characters' heads off, frequently separating them within the frame with windowpanes and the like, and presenting scenes in long, high-angle shots. But with its pointedly exaggerated evocation of the social awkwardness of the workplace, and with Andres' rock-solid physical and emotional presence, the film manages to be moving and often funny. While it contains elements of both, Elle Est des Nôtres will frustrate viewers expecting either a smart workplace comedy or a typically slow-moving, intelligent French thriller. But, while it doesn't go to any of the expected places, and occasionally crosses the line between ambiguous and confusing, it's a remarkably engaging film. Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

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