Criminal Lovers
1999
In this French thriller from Francois Ozon, Alice (Natacha Regnier) and her boyfriend Luc (Jeremie Renier) find themselves in a terrifying trap when they sneak out into the woods to cover up a crime they committed together, and then cannot find their way back out. Compared to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and to SHALLOW GRAVE, the .. Read more
| Starring | Natacha Regnier, Jeremie Renier, Miki Manojlovic |
|---|---|
| Director | Francois Ozon |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Criminal Lovers
In this French thriller from Francois Ozon, Alice (Natacha Regnier) and her boyfriend Luc (Jeremie Renier) find themselves in a terrifying trap when they sneak out into the woods to cover up a crime they committed together, and then cannot find their way back out. Compared to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and to SHALLOW GRAVE, the tale is creepy and twisting, involving rape, murder, burying dead bodies, and perhaps the worst of all: getting lost in the woods.
| Starring | Natacha Regnier, Jeremie Renier, Miki Manojlovic |
|---|---|
| Director | Francois Ozon |
| Studio | MILLIVRES MULTIMEDIA / LACE |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 32 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: French |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 14 Jul 2003 Production year: 1999 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Juxtaposing tabloid and traditional terrors, writer/director François Ozon attempts to turn a fairy tale into an urban myth in this stylish and highly manipulative melodrama. He can't be faulted for the ambition of his conceit but, despite the often unbearable suspense, the disparate elements fail to gel. The action moves from the grimy reality of the school showers, where Natacha Régnier and Jérémie Rénier kill the youngster she claims raped her, to the storybook realm of the forest, where they bury the body. Then, in a nod to the tale of Hansel and Gretel, they encounter sinister woodsman, Miki Manojlovic, who imprisons them in his cellar. Ambitious and stylish, this is deeply disturbing — but ultimately unpersuasive.
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Alice (Régnier, from Dream Life of Angels) is a provocative bitch, toying with the vulnerable affections of Luc... read more on Time Out
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Most helpful member's review
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13 out of 14 people found this review helpful
A Sunday afternoon filler
If you are bored of watching soap omnibuses on a Sunday afternoon, then you won't go too far wrong with this diverting teen romp.
Alice (a manipulatuve minx if ever there was one) convinces her boyfriend (the easily-led Luc) that they have to kill a school mate and then dump the body, which they duly do. A film told in flash backs then goes on to explore the motives/characters of both Alice and Luc, and this is where the film works. Alice is domineering and obviously unhinged while Luc is the puppy dog who will do anything to gain her approval - though the approval is really a way for Luc to get a handle on his sexuality.
The only other character in the film is the oh-so-creepy woodsman, enough to make any person's skin crawl. There are some sado-masochistic overtones in the wood shed, which you will have to watch - not wanting to give important bits away.
Anyway, not the best film in the world, and definitely not the worst. It passes the time without taxing the brain. -
Most recent members' review
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Disappointing..
'stylish and darkly disturbing' the quote says. I didn't really find it to be particularly stylish, dark or disturbing. Saying that it wasn't a complete loss, it's definately watchable, just a little slight.
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- sorgos from Fife
- Posted 19 Feb 2004 19:39
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