The queer cinematic powerhouse that is François Ozon is celebrated in Ozon: Remastered and Uncut – a collection that showcases five of the director’s short films.
Ozon’s recent hits have included the relatively mainstream Summer of ’85, and Everything Went Fine, but his earlier work is charged with erotic transgresion.
The films
A Summer Dress (Une robe d’été)
It’s summer. Sébastien loves to sing his favourite songs out loud. Lucia loves picking up boys at the beach. And all Luc wants is to get a nice tan.
CAST: Frédéric Mangenot, Lucia Sanchez, Sébastien Charles
X2000
A man awakes from an apparently wild New Year’s Eve party to find both slumbering partygoers and unexpected activity throughout an eerily empty high-rise apartment.
CAST: Denise Aron-Schropfer, Bruno Slagmulder, Lucia Sanchez, Olivier Le Guevellou, Lionel Le Guevellou, Flavien Coupeau
Truth or Dare (Action vérité)
Two girls and two boys play a game of truth or dare. The questions and the challenges deal with sex; it’s innocent and harmless, but at each turn, each youth tries to up the stakes. Then, Paul gives a dare to Rose, and the result brings on a sudden and complete silence.
CAST: Farida Rahmatoullah, Aylin Argun, Fabien Billet, Adrien Pasto
SEE THE SEA (Regarde la mer)
While waiting at a coastal idyll for her husband to return from a business trip, young Sasha and her baby Sioffra are visited by Tatiana, a strange woman traveler who pitches a tent in Sasha’s garden. The women strike up a friendship that on the surface seems awkward, and just underneath – entirely unnatural.
CAST: Sasha Hails, Marina de Van, Paul Raoux
THE LITTLE DEATH (La petite mort)
Photographer Paul receives news that his father is at death’s door, so he reluctantly pays a final visit to see him at the hospital. Paul hasn’t seen his father in six years, and all his life believed that his father found him to be ugly and not even his own child. With mixed emotions, Paul struggles to reconcile paternal love with his own guilt. Despite this, his lover Martial and sister Camille bring opportunities for growth – this ending will bring about a new beginning.
CAST: François Delaive, Camille Japy, Martial Jacques
Ozon: Remastered and Uncut is distributed by NQV Media
