This suspense-genre entry from upstart Jacques Audiard jolts the screen like one of Hitchcock's best. Carla (Emmanuelle Devos) is a bright woman working as a secretary in a construction firm, but she's handicapped by her hearing impairment (shades of Neil LaBute's In the Company of Men), her plain looks, her low self-esteem, and her gender. The guys in the office abuse her until she hires Paul (Vincent Cassel) as her assistant. An ex-con with a bad haircut, Paul is someone Carla has power over, and he represents a little extra-legal muscle to help get her way -- not to mention fodder for her fetishistic fantasies. Before you can say it's makeover or payback time, the arrangement escalates into a heist. Resisting all temptation to cop out, Audiard maintains a diabolical tension and ambiguity until the end. I foresee a Hollywood version devoid of those qualities starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. In French with English subtitles. (115 minutes) At the Avon.