In gay and French director François Ozon’s new The New Girlfriend (watch the clip exclusive to Queerty above), adorable Romain Duris plays a guy whose wife has died recently. Her best friend, Claire (Anais Demoustier), reaches out to comfort him, only to discover that David has a dark secret in his pants: women’s panties.
Ozon likes his movies snappy, suspenseful and sexually charged, and usually blown up with a string-snapping score by longtime collaborator Philippe Rombi. It’s as if George Cukor, Rainer Fassbinder and Alfred Hitchcock walked into a bar, and it was in Paris.
Not all of Ozon’s films are overtly gay-themed, but the 47 year-old manages to work in at least one someone to drool at most of the time. Following, some pics like that in the form of a brief and illustrated filmography.
The New Girlfriend opens Friday.
1. Sitcom (1998)
Ozon’s first full-length was a family farce with this guy in leather among other topless males.
2. Criminal Lovers (1999)
French-Algerian Salim Kechiouche is a dreamy motif in Ozon’s ode to Natural Born Killers.
3. Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)
Ozon adapted Fassbinder’s chamber play for the screen with young-for-old Malik Zidi and Bernard Giraudeau.
4. 8 Women (2002)
It’s hard to take your eyes off Catherine Deneuve in dark musical comedy 8 Women, even if there was something else to look at besides Isabelle Huppert, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart, Danielle Darrieux, Virginie Ledoyen, Ludivine Sagnier and Firmine Richard.
5. Swimming Pool (2003)
An erotic thriller, set in the south of France with a smallish penis.
6. 5×2 (2004)
Maybe this is about the guy in Swimming Pool, or it’s about a still-horny but unhappily married straight couple and featuring a gay twosome to highlight the breeders’ unhappiness because all the gay couples are happy — look at them dance.
7. Time to Leave (2005)
A VGL fashion photographer (Melvil Poupaud) learns he has terminal cancer and and makes the most of his time left: beach, boys, couples and cigarettes.
8. Hideaway (2009)
You’re hidden away with this heroin junkie and a dead lover’s gay brother.
9. Potiche (2010)
Ozon reunites with Deneuve for a meditation on mid-’70s French bourgeoisie. Here it’s the art direction and Deneuve competing for eyeballs; both win.
10. In the House (2012)
Hitchcock-y In the House has lycéen Fabrice Luchini insinuating himself into his best friend’s family and mom, specifically, plus other mixed sexual signals.
11. Young & Beautiful (2013)
Stunning Marine Vacth, here with Ozon, is Young & Beautiful but when she has sex with handsome Laurent Delbecque, she’s like, eh, and turns into a high-end prostitute. Deneuve did it in Belle du Jour, too.
12. The New Girlfriend (2014)
Ozon gives us something more to watch when Duris is doing the dress: David’s new girlfriend that’s also a new girlfriend’s husband, Raphaël Personnaz. Basically everybody’s doing everybody.
13. Franz (2016)
We don’t know if Pierre Niney was playing a guy named Franz for this French GQ shoot in 2014, but that’s whom he’s playing in Ozon’s next, now filming. Wear a trench.
Ladbrook
“Time to Leave” is one of my favorite films of all time. It’s simply stunning, and I highly recommend it. It’s also currently available to stream on Netflix.
Tracy Pope
“…with this guy in leather among other topless males.” is Stephane Rideau; a French actor. He is still very much involved in acting; also one of the main characters in the movie Come Undone among others.
Kangol
This list doesn’t mention one of Ozon’s best and strangest films, Under the Sand, starring Charlotte Rampling, who also appears in Swimming Pool. Under the Sand is unforgettable.
In Sea the See, one of Ozon’s early films, there’s a scene that takes place in an outdoor cruising area where men are shown having sex with each other. I won’t give away the plot but it’s disturbing, doesn’t really concern the gay people, and involves a crazy young woman drifter.
Not sure why Queerty doesn’t say a bit more about Criminal Lovers,, but for anyone who’s interested, it’s also very disturbing, and plays off the famous “Hansel and Gretel” story. The beautiful young man in the pictures above is only part of the plot; there’s an actual ogre who the young murderers happen upon in the woods and….