Beautiful but unhinged Chloé falls for her psychotherapist, but complications arise when the young woman discovers that her lover has concealed the existence of a twin brother. This psychological thriller from François Ozon, with its highly provocative references to films treating psychoanalytical issues, grabs our attention through its clever use of the duplication principle.
After vain attempts to discover the reasons for her own instability, Chloé seeks the help of a psychotherapist and soon falls in love with him. The latter is attracted to his beautiful patient and they eventually move in together. But Chloé isn’t out of the woods yet and, moreover, it turns out that her lover has concealed the fact that he has a twin, also practising psychotherapy. But in contrast to gentle Paul, brother Louis has a violent nature, under whose influence Chloé learns of the delights and horrors of erotic extremism. The plot, incorporating situations bordering on pornography, develops in an intriguing style founded on the more or less geometric duplication of objects and individuals. Experimenting with the codes of psychoanalytical themes – a game that prompts the need to question its validity – Ozon found an ally in cameraman Manuel Dacosse, ably assisted by leads Marine Vacth, the director’s discovery from Young & Beautiful, and Jérémie Renier; Jacqueline Bisset also features in a significant double role.
Eva Zaoralová (2012)
107 min / Color, DCP
Director François Ozon
/ Screenplay François Ozon podle románu / based on the novel Lives of the Twins by Joyce Carol Oates
/ Dir. of Photography Manuel Dacosse
/ Music Philippe Rombi
/ Editor Laure Gardette
/ Art Director Sylvie Olivé
/ Producer Eric Altmayer
/ Production Mandarin Production
/ Coproduction FOZ, Mars Films, Films Distribution, France 2 Cinéma, Scope Pictures
/ Cast Marine Vacth, Jérémie Renier, Jacqueline Bisset, Myriam Boyer
/ Sales Playtime
/ Distributor Aerofilms
François Ozon (b. 1967, Paris) studied film science at the Sorbonne and directing at La Fémis film school in Paris (1990-93). His early shorts with their provocative stories betray a highly intelligent approach to filmmaking. He continued to break taboos in feature films treating thorny issues, adopting a laid-back approach to sexuality, and scrutinising intimate family and other personal relationships. Typical for Ozon’s directorial style is an ironic humour, a sense of mystery, his fascination with the sophisticated world of women, and his sensitive insight into the very heart of his (mainly female) protagonists. Of Ozon’s seventeen feature films, Karlovy Vary audiences will have seen Water Drops on Burning Rocks (1999), Under the Sand (2000), Swimming Pool (2003), Angel (2005), Ricky (2009) and Young & Beautiful (2013).
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E-mail: [email protected]
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Distributor
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