| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| BaftaBaby |
Posted - 04/29/2013 : 22:04:21
Francois Ozon's latest is probably neither as good nor as bad as its critics variously label it. There's no doubt he has a knack for focusing on the absurdities of daily life and infusing them with hints of profundity. And there's no doubt he grabs real humour from even the most disturbing moments.
Does the literature professor, himself a failed author, really engineer special tutelage to the clearly gifted student to nurture his talent, or to explore some far-repressed homo-erotic stirrings which are completely shocking to himself when pointed out by his sexually neglected wife?
Is the boy's obsession with invading the house and family of his unlikely school-friend really a ruse to charm and seduce the mother, the friend, or just as a trope for his own fiction?
These are fascinating questions - fascinating literary questions. As adapted from its original theatrical source, they never quite become truly cinematic questions.
But - given the wonderful performances by Fabrice Luchini as the prof, Kristen Scott-Thomas as his wife, and Ernst Umhauer as the talented kid - Ozon provides us with an enjoyable journey, worth seeking out even though it ain't your typical mainstream movie fare.
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