Criminal Lovers (1999)

I saw this film about 2 hours ago and I thought definitely merited a comment. Classic Ozon, it's got it all- dark humour, enough sexuality to satisfy even the most European of film goers, suspense and pathos.The film follows the story of Alice and her boyfriend Luc as they subsequently kill their classmate, go on the run and end up being imprisoned by a seemingly psychotic although rather sentimental woodsman.The story is fragmented: the immediate events and flashback sequences. These flashbacks are initially really well placed and effective as they progressively provide further and further insight into how the couple come to be where they are, their motivations and especially the nature of their relationship. The pacing is great in the first 3 quarters of the film though as past and present catch up to one another the film lags a little due to repetitiveness and a pretty useless dream sequence.Presented from the first frame as the driving force, Alice is in control. She convinces Luc that the beguiling Said had his friends gang rape her and is now blackmailing her into having sex with him for fear of photos of the incident surfacing.The first act is seemingly pretty serious- the violent murder of Said, the lengthy process of transporting his body to bury it, the panicked arguments of the two and the robbing of the jewellery store. This is all really enjoyable due to the humour and the absurdity of the situation: Alice walking around the supermarket in a blood-stained dress with a giant shovel and Luc shoving cookies down his pants. While burying the body, we are made aware that someone has seen them do it. This is foreshadowed earlier so it's pretty expected but only as the two realise they're being watched do things begin to escalate. After getting lost, Luc stumbles on the woodsman's cabin. Hungry and desperate, they break in only to be caught red-handed by the odious woodsman himself.The second act sees the story take a darker turn as the woodsman locks them both in the cellar. Now it gets interesting as the woodsman reads Alice's diary. Now we're introduced to the series of flashbacks. These are particularly effective in establishing Luc and Alice as a somewhat dysfunctional, mismatched but close couple. Luc is completely endearing as the pragmatic virgin, the essentially good guy swayed by the oversexed, demanding and manipulative Alice who parallels Julie in Swimming Pool. Said is great as the playboy of ambiguous sexuality who fascinates them both and who's only real crime is of having a one track mind. We follow Luc and Alice as she conceives of the crime and he plays along, initially hesitant but persuaded by the love he has for Alice and the red-herring rape photo fabrication.Reading the diary and gauging Alice pretty aptly, the woodsman warms to Luc and frees him from the cellar, supposedly because he "likes his girls with nothing but muscle and skin over their bones and his boys soft and round". Here begins the relationship of Luc and the woodsman which I personally find as interesting as that of Luc and Alice. Chained by the neck, Luc hasn't much more freedom than Alice but slowly the woodsman proverbially reins him in.The final act sees the escape of Luc and Alice from the woodsman, albeit with his quiet consent, and the subsequent capture of the two after an idealised love scene (this presents a quasi-epiphany for Luc) and a rampant chase through the woods. Luc is caught by the police but urging Alice to go on without him, she eventually is stopped by the river and gets her brains blasted out. This I didn't care about in the slightest but when the woodsman is arrested and violently apprehended Luc is seen screaming from the paddy wagon to let him go I pretty much cried a bucket's worth.The script is great, especially enjoyable are the fights between Luc and Alice as well as their lighter moments (after robbing the jewellery store Alice complains they should have robbed the bakery, they could have gotten croissants).The cinematography//lighting//directing largely matched the tone, there was some excellent juxtaposition and some beautiful shots (Luc's fingers on the headboard, Alice's bedroom) although there were some frustrating cuts, including the later flashbacks, and some self-indulgent drawn out sequences (the blood- every time). The editing fell short at the end as the audience really awaits a wrapping up of loose ends rather than just reiteration. Also somewhat frustrating is the lack of distinct character motivation. I just can't believe someone would kill someone because the wanted some drama. This isn't Murder By Numbers, although it is Ozon and this is ultimately not really the crux of the film.Basically the great elements are the relationships of the three leads, whose performances, especially Jeremie Renier's, leave nothing to be desired. In no way does the script or the acting allow for a two dimensional view of the pairings. Never do you get the impression the relationships are merely predator/prey or leader/follower.

i had just seen the movie on the sundance film channel, mind you its already 1 a.m., and i thought that it was a fantastic movie. the two main characters, luc and alice, are in love for some crazy reason because alice is a tramp which is why i liked the ending so much. luc is a sweet virgin who will do anything for alice even after she lies to him and flirts with said (say-eed). theres also this creepy hermit forest dweller who abducts these two and locks them into his "dungeon" with dead Said. oh yea, the whole movie is in French which is another reason i liked it so much because i have some background in it. mainly if you like to watch twisted movies that no one has ever heard of before than this is it! i give it a 7.5 outta 10, only because i missed like the first half hour of it, but because the whole thing is written in alice's diary it gave me a clue to what was going on, eventho i dont like her. :)

When I was a child ,"Hansel und Gretel" used to scare me to death.Even if they finally succeed at escaping from the clutches of the witch,some fears never fade away.The fear of the unknown forest where any person can be an enemy.The fear of unknown people you meet in the dark corners of the streets .The fear of being kidnapped and taken away far from your family.When I saw "les amants criminels " for the first time ,I had the same sensation as when I read the fairytale ;rarely,I felt so ill-at-ease ,in need of fresh air :Ozon's sinister tale stirred my emotions ,my subconscious,some of my childhood fears that never went away.There are a lot of hints at childhood here:outside the Grimm tale,the heroine's name is Alice (on the other side of the mirror),and the scene near the cascade ,in its quietness, where the two lovers are surrounded by animals ,recalls some Disney movie.And mainly ,mainly ,Ozon ,among only a few contemporary directors, has completely understood Hitchcock's great lesson:expect the unexpected .After their crime,the two lovers start out ,as Janet Leigh did in 1960,and I dare you to guess what will happen then!Ozon is the most gifted contemporary French director.

If you haven't yet discovered France's new infant terrible, François Ozon, this would be a most excellent place to start: Les Amants Criminels is perhaps his best feature-length film thus far, a supremely accomplished work of incredible daring and depth. The story isn't linear - it jumps back and forth from past to present, revealing details slowly, very Scorpionic - and by the end of it, your feelings towards the two main characters have changed tremendously. And as in all Ozon films, the casting is impeccable, particularly the two leads: Jérémie Rénier as Luc, and Natacha Régnier as Alice. You can get the DVD online - make sure you get the Strand Releasing version, with the subtitles.