François Ozon
A master director in the great tradition of French auteur filmmakers
When François Ozon (born 1967 in Paris) was still less well-known in this country, people were sceptical and slightly suspicious of what this then young Frenchman would do with an early, unknown Fassbinder stage play. The astonishment was all the greater when, in 2000, Ozon cooked up kitsch and artificiality with ‘Drops on Hot Stones’ with such relish and passion, without questioning the substance of the play, an etude about grief, loneliness and loss of identity.
When the protagonists literally stepped out of the plot and danced and sang to 1970s hits, Ozon had (most) viewers on his side, because hardly anyone knows how to juggle with the ‘rituals’ of trivial culture in such a playfully elegant and witty way.
Today, Ozon has long been part of a great tradition of French auteur filmmakers. This is particularly astonishing because he always makes very different films, so his name is hardly suitable as a ‘brand’ that promises an audience in advance what to expect. ‘A film by François Ozon’ refers to an early oeuvre of sensational short films, colourful audience successes such as “8 Women” or “Swimming Pool”, but also psychological dramas such as “Under the Sand” or “Young and Beautiful”. Ozon repeatedly refers to the great film history of his country, without his films ever seeming to be paralysed by a reverence for it. Despite all the turbulence, there is always room for ‘intimate’, quiet scenes in which you look into people's souls and understand their disappointments, pain and bitterness.
François Ozon
A master director in the great tradition of French auteur filmmakers
When François Ozon (born 1967 in Paris) was still less well-known in this country, people were sceptical and slightly suspicious of what this then young Frenchman would do with an early, unknown Fassbinder stage play. The astonishment was all the greater when, in 2000, Ozon cooked up kitsch and artificiality with ‘Drops on Hot Stones’ with such relish and passion, without questioning the substance of the play, an etude about grief, loneliness and loss of identity.
When the protagonists literally stepped out of the plot and danced and sang to 1970s hits, Ozon had (most) viewers on his side, because hardly anyone knows how to juggle with the ‘rituals’ of trivial culture in such a playfully elegant and witty way.
Today, Ozon has long been part of a great tradition of French auteur filmmakers. This is particularly astonishing because he always makes very different films, so his name is hardly suitable as a ‘brand’ that promises an audience in advance what to expect. ‘A film by François Ozon’ refers to an early oeuvre of sensational short films, colourful audience successes such as “8 Women” or “Swimming Pool”, but also psychological dramas such as “Under the Sand” or “Young and Beautiful”. Ozon repeatedly refers to the great film history of his country, without his films ever seeming to be paralysed by a reverence for it. Despite all the turbulence, there is always room for ‘intimate’, quiet scenes in which you look into people's souls and understand their disappointments, pain and bitterness.