Criminal Lovers

REVIEW
One of the most exciting young gay filmmakers today, Francois Ozon (Sitcom, See the Sea) has released two wonderful feature films this year: the Fassbinder-scripted Water Drops on Burning Rocks and this deliciously twisted tale of misplaced passion, murder, S/M and overall creepiness. Think of it as a queerly perverse Heathers. Luc (Renier) is a seemingly normal high schooler who falls under the spell of the sensual but domineering Alice (Regnier), a teen who enjoys games of seduction and violence. The vixen fancies him as well, but first he must prove his love by killing a classmate who may or may not have raped her. The two young lovers decide to bury the body in the woods. But they soon find themselves lost in the dark, dense forest. An abandoned cottage seems to offer refuge, but a deranged hermit woodsman quickly captures the two teens and throws them down the cellar. Things then really take off, as the boy becomes the object of interest (and not just platonic!) for the man while the girl has to fend for herself. A delightfully sick time is guaranteed in this unsettlingly sexy and bizarre fairy tale. (French with English subtitles)