Honestly, I cannot say I enjoy this film too much. Although for years Ozon has impressed me with his penetrative observation and depiction of human psychology,which comes into blossom in many of his great works such as Sitcom and Swimming Pool.
This film somehow reminds me of Hard Candy,which you cannot put any judgment upon as the moral code is totally invalid there.In this film,we have a beautiful girl Alice -half sweet and half vicious; an introverted and simple boy Luc.The couple plan a murder and escape to a wood where they unexpectedly encounter an odd man (whom,we soon find out,is a gay) And the story takes a turn at this point. In this man's seedy and dark house,awful things take place -while Alice is locked in the basement,Luc is treated as a sex doll of the old man. Later they even notice the body of Sid,the guy murdered by them in the basement. Eventually,like most clichéd thrillers,they escape and attract the police,paying their penalty.
While I didn't find the main plot much original,I did feel that the sub-plot quite interesting.Firstly,it doesn't expose Luc's homosexual tendency clearly,which leaves the audiences to figure out whether Luc kills Sid out of jealousy.In fact,several details gives away this message,including the most important one: Luc cannot have a 'hard-on'when he's with Alice.Secondly,it is quite doubtful that whether Alice truly loves Luc.The dream sequence in the basement shows that Alice has fantasies about Sid yet is essentially disappointed over her weak boyfriend.Therefore,the reason why she wants to kill Sid is perhaps a sort of perversity -get high from visceral stimulation.Ultimately,the relationship between the two is a rather perverse one.
As for the morality of the film,I'd say it deconstructs any stable moral system and points no way out;what's more,audiences are put in a strange position where they cannot draw a clear line between the right and the wrong.Alice,both sweet and vicious,can be pitiful in the basement and wicked in rest of the time;the old man is a gay and a cannibalist,yet in the end he lets the couple go;the police,so-called imposer of justice,shoot Alice mercilessly and beat the old man...perhaps the only character that is slightly 'positive'is Luc,yet he is a murder and a potential gay.These explain why I call the film amoral.It is so cynical that it negates all the characters.The audiences are left there drinking down the poison of criminality but unable to find any antidote.
That being said,I cannot figure out the intention of Ozon -a social critique or just another encouragement to voyeurism? Or both? Because if anyone walks out of the cinema saying 'I'm now a better person',I doubt it.But if one says the film is for those who have naive views about the world,much appreciated -it's an eye opener.
This film somehow reminds me of Hard Candy,which you cannot put any judgment upon as the moral code is totally invalid there.In this film,we have a beautiful girl Alice -half sweet and half vicious; an introverted and simple boy Luc.The couple plan a murder and escape to a wood where they unexpectedly encounter an odd man (whom,we soon find out,is a gay) And the story takes a turn at this point. In this man's seedy and dark house,awful things take place -while Alice is locked in the basement,Luc is treated as a sex doll of the old man. Later they even notice the body of Sid,the guy murdered by them in the basement. Eventually,like most clichéd thrillers,they escape and attract the police,paying their penalty.
While I didn't find the main plot much original,I did feel that the sub-plot quite interesting.Firstly,it doesn't expose Luc's homosexual tendency clearly,which leaves the audiences to figure out whether Luc kills Sid out of jealousy.In fact,several details gives away this message,including the most important one: Luc cannot have a 'hard-on'when he's with Alice.Secondly,it is quite doubtful that whether Alice truly loves Luc.The dream sequence in the basement shows that Alice has fantasies about Sid yet is essentially disappointed over her weak boyfriend.Therefore,the reason why she wants to kill Sid is perhaps a sort of perversity -get high from visceral stimulation.Ultimately,the relationship between the two is a rather perverse one.
As for the morality of the film,I'd say it deconstructs any stable moral system and points no way out;what's more,audiences are put in a strange position where they cannot draw a clear line between the right and the wrong.Alice,both sweet and vicious,can be pitiful in the basement and wicked in rest of the time;the old man is a gay and a cannibalist,yet in the end he lets the couple go;the police,so-called imposer of justice,shoot Alice mercilessly and beat the old man...perhaps the only character that is slightly 'positive'is Luc,yet he is a murder and a potential gay.These explain why I call the film amoral.It is so cynical that it negates all the characters.The audiences are left there drinking down the poison of criminality but unable to find any antidote.
That being said,I cannot figure out the intention of Ozon -a social critique or just another encouragement to voyeurism? Or both? Because if anyone walks out of the cinema saying 'I'm now a better person',I doubt it.But if one says the film is for those who have naive views about the world,much appreciated -it's an eye opener.