Control Center

SABELLE HUPPERT POSSESSES A GIFT THAT VERY FEW—AND usually very great—screen actors have: a perfect poker face. We can only appreciate this attribute in context, because on a lesser performer it could seem like expressionlessness—an indicator of a lack of substance, or worse, a lack of interest. In Huppert’s case, where our appreciation of her intelligence and profundity is instantaneous, we always know she is thinking , but what that is, is known only to her. She could be simply holding back, keeping the mystery alive for the audience; she could be internalizing the character’s feelings because the scene demands it; or most likely, she could be refusing to base her reactions on the demands of a camera, instead opting to react to her character’s circumstances exactly how (and when) she chooses. It is this expression of supreme confidence and commitment to her own