What a treat - Huppert and Verhoeven, a combination that got me super excited, and I wasn't disappointed. If you think this one is going to be as slick as Verhoeven's last films, you're in for a surprise. It plays out at a much more leisurely pace, more in keeping with a typical French drama, however this being Verhoeven, it is populated by quite possibly his loopiest characters and even more out-there dialogue. I was actually more impressed by how he stuffed the script with so many ludicrous subplots and characters, all given much more time than you would expect. It's really dificult to describe this film, there is just so much going on and definitely warrants a rewatch. Some of the lines are destined to become gifs. Isabelle is, as usual, Isabelle, but given plenty of free rein to be even weirder than usual. The only letdown is the cinematography, which is flat and unimaginative. Perhaps Verhoeven was too busy with all the other batshit crazy stuff going on in this film than to actually look through the viewfinder. You can't have it all! (and as for Laurent Lafitte - woof!)