Paris, actresses and murders - "My Crime" by Francois Ozon will appeal to lovers of theater and humor

On June 22, the premiere of Francois Ozon's new film "My Crime" took place.

François Ozon is a rare director who does not have weak or best periods, he is always in good shape. And this despite the incredible productivity: "My Crime" is the 22nd film by the Frenchman in 25 years. For the first time in many years, he abandons the complex drama and comes to the comedy genre.

For the new picture, Ozon, as usual, wrote the script himself, and also invited colleagues he had known for a long time: cameraman Manuel Dacosse (“Peter von Kant”, “By the will of God”) and composer Philip Rombi (“Desperate Housewife”, “Pool”). The main roles were played by little-known actresses Nadia Tereshkevich ("Ten Percent") and Rebecca Marder ("The Roundup"), as well as Isabelle Huppert ("She").

Paris, 1930s. Young actress Madeleine and her friend, lawyer Pauline, cannot pay their rent. A fashion producer offers Madeleine to become his mistress for money, the actress answers with a rude refusal, and a few hours later the producer is found dead and also robbed.

Madeleine assures everyone that she was not involved in the murder, but no one believes her. Then Pauline decides to help her friend and invites her to take the blame. Such a line of defense not only helps to avoid prison, but gives Madeleine a successful career. Another actress decides she wants it too successand therefore tries to take the blame.

Excellent theatrical performance

"My Crime" is a classic example of a performance played on camera. Any episode can be easily transferred to the stage theaterand it won't change much. The actors are slightly overacting, the sets bulge with artificiality, and the costumes are beautiful in their own right, as a separate work.

The emphasis on theatricality makes us abandon some familiar film elements. For example, in the film there is a minimum of assembly glues. Long dialogue takes the place of action, and some events are re-told rather than shown on the screen. In general, if Ozon suddenly wants to stage a performance, he can easily use the same script and the same props.

Deliberate theatricality will surely repel some and attract others - this is too important a feature of the picture that affects its perception.

Good quality comedy

My Crime is a very coherent and beautifully constructed comedy. There are no unnecessary episodes in it, and humor and absurdity are evenly scattered throughout the duration. That is, instead of individual gags, there is a whole funny story.

If the viewer understands Ozon's sense of humor, then he will like the film. Otherwise comedy doesn't seem like the funniest thing. And Ozone jokes in a peculiar way.

For example, men in a courtroom are ready to sentence a girl to death because they do not want to be killed by women. True, there is another motive: to show their wives that they hate mistresses as such. In another scene, the heroine refuses suicide just because a friend brought sandwiches.

But most of the humor is still connected with the guilt of the heroine - the question of her involvement in the murder affects the career. In the end, everyone wants to be killers, just to become stars. You can perceive the plot as a satire on show business, or you can simply enjoy the absurdity.

cute bad people

Throughout the film, the main characters do not do the best things, but they still evoke sympathy - not love, but sympathy.

The patriarchal world around them makes it clear that for a career you need to please men, there is no other way out. And then the heroines discover that lies and crimes are not the worst tools for achieving success. And I want to agree with them.

A slightly frivolous attitude to the world and human life does more for the atmosphere of the film than the costumes or the acting of the actresses. François Ozon solves a complex problem with a simple comedic murder. The reduced pathos and entertaining tone serve as a safeguard against slipping into primitive social criticism. As a result, you can consider "My Crime" a film about feminism, or you can not think about it at all - Ozone does not impose anything.

"My Crime" will delight fans of costumed and theatrical comedies. It is unlikely that Ozone fans will ever put this film among his best works, but it definitely deserves attention. Especially if you watch it on the big screen, this is a real gift for the current Russian box office.