Posted in: by Robert Horton, Contributors, Film Reviews

Film Review: ‘Young & Beautiful’

Marine Vacth

Before she began acting, Marine Vacth maintained a successful modeling career, and she has the impassive presence of a cover girl. This is not a knock; in François Ozon’s Young & Beautiful, Vacth’s camera-ready and oft-naked presence, so ready to be gazed upon and consumed, is a boon to the film’s exploration of a disoriented teenager’s journey into a dark realm.

She plays Isabelle, the heroine of this tale of four seasons. In the opening summer segment, 17-year-old Isabelle loses her virginity while on vacation—Ozon depicts her standing outside herself during the act, as though sizing up the possibilities for future use (she certainly isn’t enjoying the sex). By autumn, Isabelle has utilized the Internet to build a stable of clients for her sex business, charging men 300 Euros for an afternoon in a hotel room. Her mother (Géraldine Pailhas) and stepfather (Frédéric Pierrot) notice nothing, except that Isabelle seems to be showering a lot.

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Posted in: by Robert Horton, Contributors, Film Reviews

‘In the House’: Bad Teacher, Naughty Pupil

Luchini as a very bad teacher

François Ozon’s parents were schoolteachers. That could account for the slyly mixed feelings he shows toward the protagonist of his new film. Meet Germain, a high-school teacher whose commitment to his profession is tested by his boredom, his frustrated dreams of being a writer, and the seductive series of papers turned in by a precocious student.

Not “seductive” in the obvious sense—the movie’s got more on its mind than an inappropriate affair. What Germain (Fabrice Luchini) sees in the serial narrative written by Claude (Ernst Umhauer) is a spark of talent, a reason to invest himself in a student, and a string of cliffhangers that have him—and eventually his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas)—waiting breathlessly for each new installment.

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