I feel compelled to write a review since I see so many people rated it so low. Madame is a portrait of two people mainly -- the madame of the house, played by Toni Colette, and the maid, played by Rossi de Palma. Ultimately the film offers a scathing rebuke of the class structure and the blinkered focus of the wealthy. De Palma is compelling as always -- unusual, sexy, and adds so much nuance to her character. Colette's character is complex -- beautiful, insecure, aging, hyper alert, and, ultimately, jealous of someone else's happiness. Her cruelty is shocking, and I think this is why people have trouble with the ending. Perhaps they did not hear the last words of the man working on his novel. They explain everything.
Review of Madame
