Francois Ozon's Vision is Dark and Plentiful
Dateline: 07/31/00
American
film lovers had better take notice of Francois Ozon. The 32-year-old French
director currently has two films in release. The Criminal Lovers arrived
in the States within a week of Water Drops on Burning Rocks. Both are
currently playing in New York and Los Angeles and will be distributed across
the country in upcoming weeks.
It was only last year that Francois provoked audiences with Sitcom, a parody of the traditional program featuring the disturbing antics of a sadomasochistic family. If you didn't think that was impressive enough, Ozon is currently in the editing stages of his newest feature, and expects to premiere Under the Sand during this fall season's film festival circuit.
Francois currently has a reputation as an "enfant terrible." This is because of the similar themes of sexual cruelty and perversion that run though all of his films. Common features of an an Ozon production include sex, violence, and manipulative characters. So far, reviews are mixed; American critics recognize Ozon's emerging talent, but agree that this talent has yet to reached its full maturity. Even in his native France, Ozon has yet to find an entirely receptive audience. In an interview with IndieWIRE, Ozon says: "People in France think I'm making too many films. People think I'm a spoiled child."
It's hard not to admire an artist with such drive and determination. Criminal Lovers and Water Drops on Burning Rocks were shot just seven months apart, both with a budget of less than two million dollars each. Ozon ran out of funds while making Under the Sand. Instead of halting production, the director switched from the more costly 35 millimeter film to Super-16 to complete filming.
Next: The Criminal Lovers, Water Drops on Burning Drops
