


FRANÇOIS OZON - COLLECTION OF SHORT FILMSRegarde la mer (See the Sea, 1996, 52 minutes) Alone with her baby daughter in a seaside cottage, Sasha agrees to let dour backpacker Tatiana pitch her tent near the house, An odd bond forms between them, underscored by a steadily amplified threat that is as sexual as it is violent. With spellbinding performances by both women, Ozon manipulates audience expectations with considerable authority, creating a complex and chilling psychological minefield.Action vérité (Truth or Dare, 1994, 4 minutes) Four teenagers discover the pain and excitement of their emerging sexuality while playing a harmless children's gameLa Petite mort (A Little Death, 1995, 24 minutes) Paul, a young gay photographer, is estranged from his father and lives with lover Martial. When his sister persuades him to visit his dying father in hospital, Paul discovers that he can never escape his originsUne Robe d été (A Summer Dress, 1996, 15 minutes) While on holiday with his boyfriend, teenaged Luc has an encounter with a stranger on the beach that complicates his already ambivalent sexuality.Scènes de lit (Bed Scenes, 1998, 26 minutes) A series of liberated comic sketches on sexual etiquette, unbridled passion and post-coital aftertaste.X2000 (1998, 6 minutes) Three naked couples sleep, make love and wake up in an empty skyscraper littered with millennium party debris.Un Lever de rideau (A Curtain Raiser, 2006, 25 minutes) Bruno and his gay friend Pierre are waiting for Rosette, who is late again. This time Bruno's mind is made up: if she makes him wait more than 45 minutes, it will be over between them.DVD extra 24-page booklet with essays by Jonathan Romney, Paul Willemen, Sarah Cooper, and Pamela Church Gibson.France | 1994 2006 | colour | French language with optional English subtitles | 152 minutes | various aspect ratios | Region 2 DVD
D**C
Super
Excellent
A**N
Dissapointed
Bought because I loved L'Amant Double. But this is just terrible. Every one of these films holds something disgusting such as poo in the toilet, anal-sex and a young girl's period blood. Like a trashy/porno/Gay Rohmer film. What is wrong with this director?
2**2
five stars
good short films
A**O
A treat for fans, an introduction for newcomers
As usual, here is a beautifully packaged dvd from the BFI with extensive and illustrated notes. These are the early films of Ozon, which I prefer to his later and curent ones, but the themes that run through his work are all there in some form. My highlights are Regarde La Mer and Une robe d'ete, but they all have their moments and demonstrate Ozon's ambitious and intriguing filmmaking approach. Find out if you like Ozon before you buy or else you might be disappointed!
A**K
a fascinating mixture
Ozon is a major director. All these short films are excellent and the first one absolutely terrifying, like an alarming pre-echo of In the House. But there are no duds. Go see.
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