Water Drops on Burning Rocks (Francois Ozon, 1999)

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again: I just don't get Francois Ozon. He makes visually gorgeous films, that's for certain, but there's always a little something missing for me. This same principle applies to Water Drops on Burning Rocks, Ozon's interpretation of an unproduced early Fassbinder play about an older man who seduces a younger boy into leaving his fiancee. Their relationship soon turns into one of the most dysfunctional I've seen on film, but instead of being interesting, it is natural, commonplace dysfunction, which actually isn't interesting at all, just annoying. Franz (the boy) and Leopold (the older man who is apparently irresistable, for some reason I couldn't see) finally fight until Franz is ready to leave, and his ex-fiancee Anna (Ludivine Sagnier, who spends most of her time onscreen naked) comes to take him back, but once she meets Leopold, and Leopold's ex Vera comes in to the picture, all bets are off. The scene is set for a sex farce, one would assume, but it then just becomes more of the grating same. There is a dance scene that is truly fantastic - funny and visually very cool - but that's about it. The results of this four-way are tragic, but not really because no one in the movie actually cares. Well, I didn't really care, either. Everything about the movie is so detached and commonplace, while the actions are so audacious and colorful that the two just don't meet at any enjoyable place. Again, Ozon has made a beautiful film, but one that is not the sum of it's parts. When will I understand this Ozon phenomenon? 5/10

Stumble It!

Criminal Lovers (Francois Ozon, 1999)

Criminal Lovers is a twisted, queer postmodern version of the Hansel and Gretel myth. Two young lovers (Natacha Regnier and Jeremie Renier, from L'Enfant) kill a fellow student, then drive out to the country to hide the body in a forest. They lose sight of their car after burying the body, but that is only the beginning of their problems. If you know the Hansel and Gretel story, you can pretty much guess what's going to happen next, but Ozon adds some interesting twists to the story. Luc, Renier's character, has been unable to have sex with Alice, but things happen to make him more traditionally masculine. After their encounter with the man in the forest, Luc's masculinity is defined, even though he finds it through untraditional means. Then, there's the competition/attraction between Luc and Said, the student they kill; at times, it seems that Luc is jealous of Said's connection with Alice, and at others, like he is more attracted to Said than to Alice. These postmodern twists make the story fresh and highly interesting. To me, Ozon's films are more about the visuals than the actual story (see my post of stills, be warned of spoilers). The visuals in this film are stunning, dark and creepy, like some fairy tales are. While the ending might not seem happy, there are surprisingly bright moments near the end of the film, where we feel that the characters have come to their logical ends. But, like other Ozon I have seen, the story is lacking in comparison to the visuals. It is an interesting story, but not handled that impressively, as it could have been a great movie, but, as it is, it's a pretty good one. 7/10 RIYL: Catherine Breillat

Stumble It!