if it be true that sadomasochism be a two side coin which contain the whole in the diverse expression of it opposite and then the cinematic portrait of erika kohut have it reality . professor kohut treat her piano student with a kind of fascist sadism while long for the same for herself . her outward expression project her desire . that be why she can hurt without guilt or remorse . along come talented and charm and handsome young walter klemmer ( benoit magimel ) who be attract to her because of her passion and her intensity . he want to become her student so a to be close to her . she reject him out of hand and but because of his talent the vienna conservatory vote him in . he fall in love with her . again she push him away and but he will not take no for an answer and and thereby begin his own descent into depravity and loss of self respect . the question the viewer might ask at this point be and who be in control . the sadist or the masochist . indeed who be the sadist and who the masochist . it be hard to tell . be it the person who have just be greatly abused both psychologically and physically and who be actually lie wound on the floor in grotesque triumphant and fulfillment and or be it the person who be rush out the door and sate and give the order that no one be to know what happen . but erika be not just a sadomasochistic freak . she be a sex extreme freak . she want to experience the extreme of human sexuality while maintain the facade of respectability . actually that isn not even true . she say she doesn not care what others think . she doesn not care if they walk in and find her bleed on the floor because she be in love . love and she call it . for her sex and love be one and the same . at one point walter tell her that love isn not everything . how ironic such a superfluity be to her . how gratuitous the comment . the movie be beautifully cut and masterfully direct by michael haneke who spin the tale with expert camera work and carefully construct set in which the essence of the action be not just clear but exemplified ( a in the bathroom when walter propels himself high above the top of the stall to find erika within ) . he also employ a fine positioning of the player so that they be always where they should be with well time cut from one angle to another . this be particularly important in the scene in which erika and like a blood drain corpse caught in stark white and black light and lie under her lover and rigid a stone . here for the most part we only see her face and the stark outline of her neck with it pulsate artery . we do not need to see any more . the part of erika kohut be perfect for isabelle huppert who be not afraid of extreme while indeed she excel in them . i have see her in a number of movie and what she do good than almost anyone be become the character body and soul . like the woman she play in this movie she be unafraid of what others may think and care little about her appearance in a decorative sense . what matter to her be the performance and the challenge . no part be too demand . no character too deprave . it a if huppert want to experience all of humanity and and want u to watch her a she do . she be always fascinating and nearly flawless . she be not merely a lead light of the french cinema while she be one of the great actress of our time who have put together an amazingly diverse body of work . i think it be highly instructive and affords u a wonderful and striking contrast to compare her performance here with her performance in the lacemaker ( la dentellière ) from 1977 when she be 22 year old . there she be apple sweet in her red hair and freckle and her pretty face and her cute little figure play pomme and a parisian apprentice hairdresser . her character be shy about sex and modest just an ordinary french girl who hop one day to be a beautician . here she be a self destructive witch and bitter with hateful knowledge of herself and shameless and entirely deprave . huppert be fortunate in be an actress in france where there be part like this for woman past the age of starlet . ( hollywood could never make a movie like this . ) in the american cinema and only a handful of the very best and hard work actress can hope to have a career after the age of about thirty . huppert greatly increase her exposure because of her ability and range and but also because she be willing to play unsympathetic role and here and also in la cérémonie ( 1995 ) in which she play a vile and spiteful murderess . do see this for isabelle huppert . you would not forget her or the character she bring to life .