The New Girlfriend (2014)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The New Girlfriend (2014) – F. Ozon

For some reason, I have been completely neglecting François Ozon after enjoying Under the Sand (2000) and Swimming Pool (2002), as much as I can recall them.  He seems to have continued making films in a similar psychological vein and with some critical acclaim.  But I guess I was somehow fooled by the online descriptions of this one (and don’t read on if you’d like to be fooled too). It seemed like a thriller about a man who harboured a secret that was discovered after his wife died.  I mistakenly assumed that the secret was a “new girlfriend” – however, I couldn’t be further off-base.  Instead, the film is largely told from the perspective of Claire (Anaïs Demoustier), the best friend of the deceased wife, and it is her “new girlfriend” that the film is about.  And indeed that “new girlfriend” is the husband with a secret, David (Romain Duris) – and the secret is cross-dressing. As Claire and David (now called Virginia) grow closer, their relationship (kept secret from Claire’s husband) has serious psychological effects on both members (and Ozon seems to suggest these are positive freeing effects).  Clearly, Claire is seeking a replacement for her lost girlfriend (for whom she may or may not have had sexual feelings) whereas Virginia wants to be appreciated as a woman and to have a close girlfriend.  Or perhaps there is more to it?  Although the film feels like a Claude Chabrol French psychodrama at times, particularly as it gets into Claire’s confused head, ultimately it seems to have less to say and less tension than expected, save for a late plot surprise and a brief somewhat ambiguous coda.  Yet, we don’t get too many films that venture into this territory, unjudgmentally but with intrigue. Perhaps Ozon’s oeuvre is worth a look-see, after all.