A Jekyll and Hyde story with an unpopular teacher as the former and a glowing Star Trek: The Next Generation alien as the latter. I happen to love TNG though so that last bit isn’t meant as a knock – just something I thought you should know. There are a lot of things to like about Mrs. Hyde, but unfortunately, a lot of things to be ambivalent about too. It meanders often and leaves a lot of loose threads, but mostly it just misses too many opportunities to be completely satisfying.
Isabelle Huppert plays Mrs. Géquil, a science teacher in a French high school. To say she’s isn’t liked is an understatement. Her class harasses her, and she seems to be under constant disciplinary investigation. One day while working in her lab, she falls victim to some sort of electrical surge causing her to lose consciousness. When she recovers, she finds herself with a confidence the likes of which she’s never experienced before. She’s able to take charge of her class, command respect from her fellow faculty, and get through to her most troubled student. It also gives her the ability to turn into a glowing white hot fiery figure with the power to kill with a touch.
As awesome as that sounds, it’s also where the biggest let down occurs. This extraordinary gift (or curse) is never explored or much developed. It’s just sort of a thing that happens and seems to only exist to give the required Hyde to the story’s Jekyll. It’s neat, don’t get me wrong, but I want to see more, and I want to know more. Instead, this strange transformation is left hanging with no purpose. That the science behind it is never explained doesn’t bother me, it’s that the now altered Mrs. Géquil never quite uses her abilities for any real purpose other than to freak some folks out.
This disappointment would be more forgivable if there weren’t more issues. The plot isn’t exactly coherent, with long scenes dedicated to high school science class diatribe and housing project rap battles. It’s also unnecessarily padded with fluff when it could, under the given premise, be filled to the brim with off the wall madness. There are some fun moments, but for a film like this, if you’re going to be weird, you might as be full-on bonkers. Taking the insanity ball and running with it would have served Mrs. Hyde much better than the mere glimpses we’re given.
The direction and effects compliment the film well, but the acting is its strongest point. Huppert embodies her role in all its forms. Before her change, she’s perfectly believable as the fed-up teacher who’s one inch from giving up completely. Post-change, the subtle differences in her performance amount to massive changes in her character. She looks constantly like she’s contemplating murder, and she might just be given the abuse she takes daily. Without Huppert, Mrs. Hyde wouldn’t stand a chance.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.