François Ozon: The Short Films Collection (1994)
This collection of short films by Francois Ozon allows us insight into an artist and filmmaker constantly evolving, intent on showing us the sexual and the intimate, who can make the ordinary seem extraordinary, who is eclectic in his choice of style and subject matter, ultimately Ozon is not afraid to delve beneath the surface to uncover the secrets of sex and obsession.
Seasons & Episode
Innocence gives way to experience. Two girls and two boys, probably about 14 or 15 years old, 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 raise the ante. Then, Paul gives a dare to Rose, and the result brings on a sudden and complete silence.
Family ties. Paul is an artist, his current project is to take photos of the faces of men during orgasm. He lives with Martial, his lover. His sister Camille, who's running the family business, takes Paul to the hospital to see their father, who is dying. Paul hasn't seen him in six years, and all his life has believed his father thinks he's ugly and perhaps not even his child. There's no deathbed reconciliation, but subsequent exchanges of Paul with Martial and with Camille bring opportunities for growth and change to this temperamental and self-pitying young man.
It's summer. Sébastien loves Sheila. Lucia loves boys. As for Frédéric, all he wants to do is work on his tan.
Sasha, a young British woman, is living with her baby daughter at Ile d'Yeu, a peaceful beach community. A stranger appears. Her name is Tatiana, she's passing through, and pitches her tent in Sasha's yard. The two women build an odd rapport, and tension builds as events unfold.
Seven brief scenes, each with a couple, explore the surprises and the changes of heart that can occur during sexual encounters. Only one of the seven couples has been in bed together before; several are strangers or new acquaintances. A prostitute and her john, an older woman and a youth who follows her home, two women friends, a gay man with a straight man, a man with distinctive ideas about soap and water, a woman who wants the light left on, and a Spanish-speaking woman with a French-speaking man make for an array of possibilities and unanticipated consequences. The 7 bed scenes are titled: The Black Hole (Le trou noir) Mr. Clean (Monsieur Propre) Madame Heads or Tails (Tête bêche) The Ideal Man (L'homme idéal) Love in the Dark (L'amour dans le noir) The Virgins (Les puceaux).
A man groggily awakes from an apparently wild New Year's Eve party to find both slumbering partyers and unexpected activity.
Bruno, A young Frenchman, is frustrated by his girlfriend's constant lack of punctuality. He decides to end their relationship the next time she is late again.