"The Street" Episode #2.3 (2007) - 100% Normal

"The Street" Episode #2.3 (2007) - 100% Normal

Director: Terry McDonough
Scenario: Jimmy McGovern
Genre: Drama
Country: UK
Year: 2007
Duration: 58 min
Rating: 8.0/10

Actors: Dean Andrews, Mark Benton, Kieran Bew, Will Mellor, Vincent Regan, Matt Smith

Description:

Jeste li kada muvali oženjenog čovijeka? Ili možda bili u vezi sa nekim oženjenim muškarcem?
Posledice toga mogu da budu zaista pogubne i neobično teške. Nemojte mi samo reći "pa nisam ništa uradio , što i on nije htio"
Bilo bi fer sa vaše strane da prije nego se upustite u avanturu sa nekim ko ima porodicu i dijecu barem razmislite koliko taj čovijek rizikuje sa vama. Ne kažem da u svakoj priči ne postoji i druga strana medalje, ali ako vas je strast ili emocija ponijela za nekim ko je "100% str8" najmanje što možete učiniti je da ispoštujete maksimalnu diskreciju i svojim ponašanjem ne dovede u pitanje integritet čovijeka sa kojim ste nešto započeli.

Slušao sam priče raznih pedera koji se međusobno šale kako su maznuli nekog oženjenog lika i kako im je super sa njim. S gađenjem bih odlazio jer takav mentalni pederluk teško podnosim. Kompromitacija bilo kojeg čovijeka na bilo koji način je stvarno pederska ljigavština. Posebno od likova koji su stupili u vezu sa nekim kome je potrebna takva diskrecija. Ako već on rizikuje toliko mnogo ispoštuje bar to elementarno pravilo.

Kakve sve posledice mogu da proisteknu iz takvih priča pogledajte u ovoj BBC - jevoj seriji!
Moja iskustva sa oženjenim muškarcima su zaista velika, što več stalni čitaoci ovog bloga mogu zaključiti iz dosadašnjih tekstova.
Vjerujte nikada nisam niti bih doveo u pitanje ljudski integritet čovijeka sa kojim djelim zajedničke emocije niti njegove porodice. Radije bih raskinuo svaki kontakt nego doveo u pitanje djetinjstvo bilo čijeg djeteta, ili bilo čije porodice. Ako već imate vezu sa nekim ko ima obaveza prema familiji, onda se pomirite sa tim ili se ne upuštajte u to. Okanite se priča, ovaj ili onaj je peder, bio sam sa njim ili znam da je sa nekim.
Neke stvari ipak sačuvajte samo za sebe! U suprotnom bićete zaista samo obični ljigavi peder!

Serija je titlovana na španskom , ali ipak je nije problem pogledati!

Author: last-picture-show from London, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Like others in this drama series believability is often stretched to the limit. At face value this tries to be a sensitive portrayal of a married man who discovers he is gay but unfortunately it is let down by following every gay-drama cliché in the book.

There is no indication at all that Charlie is gay until he is propositioned by work mate Tom and this leaves the unfortunate impression that he wasn't interested in men until he was 'seduced'. A tired old banality. The gay club Tom later takes him to is ludicrously portrayed as a place where men in drag, erotic male dancers and violent queer-bashers all share the same space. Any sense of reality is lost when Charlie gets mugged by an abusive homophobe in the toilet of the gay club. Simply unbelievable! This unrealistic scene only happens so the crime gets reported to the police and Charlie's gay encounter will be exposed.

Charlie rings a gay help line that is ridiculously portrayed as some kind of sex line that charges premium rates. The ensuing massive phone bill is important for the plot but is a gross misrepresentation of any real gay advice service. When the police become involved in investigating the earlier mugging the writer seems to be unaware of changes in police attitudes in the last 10 years. In this drama the police betray Charlie's 'gay secret', ultimately to his son, resulting in one of those awful scenes from gay dramas of the 1980's involving lots of shouting, punching, blood and violence where gay characters loudly confess all to an assembled group of startled heterosexuals. All a bit naff really.

Throughout the whole piece there is a nasty feeling that if only he hadn't had his brief encounter with Tom everything would be fine. Nowhere is this more evident than the scene where Charlie is confronted by his son.

The acting throughout was excellent but the plot lacked realism. A wasted opportunity.

Ssang-hwa-jeom (2008) eng. Frozen Flower

Ssang-hwa-jeom (2008) eng Frozen Flower

Director: Ha Yu
Scenario: Ha Yu
Genre: Drama, History, Romance
Country: South Korea
Year: 2008
Duration: 133 min
Rating: 7.1/10

Actors: Jin-mo Ju, Ji-hyo Song, In-seong Jo, In-beom Ko, Tae-won Kwon, Ju-hwan Lim, Ji-hyeon Min, Ji-ho Shim, Wook-hwan Yeo

Description:

Priča o Korejskom Caru koji je svog tjelohranitelja volio koliko i svoju zemlju!
Zaista sjajna istorijska drama, koju sam odgledao u dahu! Pravo osvježenje nakon gomile menlanholičnih filmova koje sam gledao u zadnje vrijeme!

Ne znam da li je radnja filma zasnovana na istinitom dogadjaju jer ne poznajem korejsku istoriju ali je scenario urađen u duhu najboljih američkih istorijskih filmova.

Goryeo je korejska dinastija (918-1392) koja se nalazila na području današnje Koreje. Nakon 1392. godine pokorava se kineskoj dinastiji Yuan, čime se definitivno završava era korejskih kraljeva.
Toliko o tome, a film nam priča ep o jednom Goryeo caru iz vremena pred dolazak kineske dinastije Yuan , kada je korejski car iako suveren, priznavao kinesku dinastiju kao superiorniju!

Kao budući kralj, dječak je odrastao učeći borilačke vještine, govorništvo, umjeće vladanja, politiku, tradiciju i sve ono što jedan car treba da zna. Ono što nikada niko nije mogao da ga nauči je kako voljeti ženu. Kralj je volio šefa svoje kraljevske garde kojeg je učio lojalnosti i ratničkim vještinama od malih nogu. Osim što su bili jako emotivno povezani, tradicija i vaspitanje su ih naučili da se jedan prema drugom odnose onako kako im položaj i protokol nalažu. Ipak u povremenim trenucima osame mogli su jedan drugome otvoriti dušu i iskazati ljubav koja je nadjačavala sve ono što su učili i poštovali.

Kako je kineska dinastija tražila od cara da imenuje naslednika tako se car našao u nevolji. Iako je oženjen to je ipak bilo samo protokolarno.Naslijednik se ne dobija samo međusobnim uvažavanjem, za to je ipak potrebno napraviti dijete.

Kralj koji je totalno gay nalazi rješenje da njegov tjelohranitelj Hong Lim to uradi umjesto njega. Iako nevoljno, Hong Lim pristaje na to. Ali ne ide sve onako kako je kralj zamislio! A kako je i mogao da predpostavi da osoba koju toliko obožava može da se zaljubi u kraljicu.

Hong Lim kraljev predmat obožavanja, simbol lojalnosti i odanosti, biva od samog kralja gurnut u nepovratnu emocionalnu izdaju!

Film nam ovu priču priča u jedinstvenom koloritu dalekog istoka. Kostimografija, scene, palate, vrtovi, ratnici i istočnjačka tradicija se protežu tokom cjelog filma, te uz dobro ukompnovanu muziku čine da nam doživljaj vremena i prostora bude blizak.

Da bi se shvatila jačina emocija koje nas obasipaju tokom cjele ove priče morali bi ipak malo poznavati strogu istočnjačku tradiciju.
Mada čak i da vam sve to i nije toliko blisko, siguran sam da će te osjetiti snagu pogleda i poruke koje nam karakteri u filmu upućuju.
Definitivno ravnodušni nećete ostati gledajući ovu zaista sjajnu filmsku priču.

By Yang Sung-jin

Source : www.koreaherald.co.kr... ( English Korean )

Homosexuality is no longer a hush-hush topic for Korean filmmakers. But depictions of sexuality take another turn in "Ssanghwajeom" ("A Frozen Flower"), as a relationship between two men becomes a triangle of jealousy with an addition of a woman.

But the movie, to be released on Dec. 30, is not limited to sexual entanglement. Sex is used as a key tool to prod the plot forward, often at a rapid pace. To that end, director Yoo Ha includes plenty of explicit scenes of sex and graphic violence. The result, however, is somewhat mixed. The film's poetic justice produces an unlikely anti-hero.

Although the movie sets itself out as a historical drama set in the late Goryeo Dynasty, viewers should bear in mind that the story is purely fictional. The nation is now under the virtual rule of China's Yuan Dynasty, and Goryeo's king (Joo Jin-mo) has to produce a son to keep his position. The only problem is that he cannot sleep with a woman, much less have a romantic relationship with one.

The king's real romantic partner is none other than his chief bodyguard Hong Lim (Jo In-Seong). The two have sex in the inner sanctums of the Goryeo court, and we are shown a graphic kiss scene between the king and Hong Lim, which is bound to shock some Korean viewers.

But the real shocker comes when the king decides to ask Hong Lim to sleep with his wife - the queen (Song Ji-hyo). This idea is based on his assumption that all his political problems will go away once there is a royal son.


The king's miscalculation, of course, is that passionate romantic feelings sometimes form after sex. Hong Lim, who has never slept with a woman before, hesitates to touch the body of the queen at first, but once the physical bond is initiated, he finds himself totally enslaved.

Love triangle established, the plot sprints ahead with a portrayal of the uncontrollable anger and jealousy of the king, leaving heads rolling in the process.

Director Yoo seems to suggest that Hong Lim has long been subjected to a sort of coercion, rather than a real romantic relationship with the king. Hong is a mere subordinate, while the king has all the power, including the right to order his death.

The queen, for her part, discovers the liberating exhilaration when she falls in love with Hong Lim after years of neglect and inattention. She suffers a deep sense of guilt initially but she finds herself indulging in the dangerous liaisons with Hong Lim.

What is notable is that sex in "Ssanghwajeom" ("A Frozen Flower") is deeply associated with death. Eros is often depicted in literature and film as being able to overcome everything. The feelings that interconnect Hong Lim and the queen could backfire lethally because they are cheating on the almighty king.

As far as a plot is concerned, the unfortunate queen and her lover bravely defy the obstacles to prove that mutual love is more powerful than unrequited passion. The king's relationship with Hong Lim has been futile and one-sided. Failing to confirm whether his bodyguard is truly in love with him, he comes to realize that he is totally alone.

It is a pity that the king, trapped in a man's body, is betrayed by his secret lover. What the king fails to notice is that Hong Lim is a bisexual who prefers heterosexual sex.

But Joo Jin-mo does not have to lament his role. It is Jo In-Seong who fails to create much-needed emotional subtlety and often delivers his lines in an annoyingly mechanical fashion. In contrast, Joo Jin-mo emerges as the ultimate winner in the film. Joo pulls off creating a complex and nuanced character with whom audiences will be able to sympathize, rescuing a film that might otherwise have fallen into the trap of having too much sex and violence.

Le placard (2001)

Le placard (2001)

Director: Francis Veber
Scenario: Francis Veber
Genre: Comedy
Country: France
Year: 2001
Duration: 84 min
Rating: 7.1/10

Actors: Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu, Thierry Lhermitte, Michčle Laroque, Jean Rochefort, Alexandra Vandernoot, Stanislas Crevillén, Michel Aumont, Edgar Givry, Thierry René, Armelle Deutsch, Michčle Garcia, Laurent Gamelon, Vincent Moscato, Irina Ninova

Description:
Ova simpatična komedija za nedjeljno poslijepodne može vam se učiniti kao lako štivo za prekratiti sat i po vremena. Ova priča uistinu to i jeste ali nam jasno daje i dublju poruku o ljudskoj naravi. Diskriminatorski odnos prema manjinama u ovom slučaju seksualnim manjinama je poželjan sve dok je to stav većine. Međutim šta sve može da taj stav promjeni? Ponekad korist, a ponekad je to stvar politike ili media. A kad se to desi onda ljudi mnoge stvari počnu da gledaju drugačijim očima i sve to može da dovede do mnogih komičnih situacija.
Ova komedija nam priča o liku koji je saznao da treba da nakon 20 godina u firmi dobije otkaz. Dosadan, prosječan, uvijek pun problema, u očima svih kolega je običan gubtnik ( loosser) i beskorisan lik.
Nesretni François Pignon u svom beznadju pokušava da se baci sa balkona ali ga u tome sprječava njegov susjed koji je tek doselio u njegovu zgradu!

Komšija mu daje ideju da je najbolje da se u firmi koja proizvodi kondome razglasi da je peder , tako je će ga najvjerovatnije poštedijeti otkaza kako ne bi došli pod udar kritika gay lobija!
Ubrzo nakon anonimnih fotografija na kojima se vidi da je Pignon peder, šefovi u firmi mjenjanu odluku o otkazu, al zato sve kolege počnu da ga gledaju nekako drugačije. Slatko sam se nasmijao daljem razvoju događaja, a posebno sceni kada je Pignon učestvovao u gay paradi sa kapom u obliku kondoma na glavi!
Baš mi je je lijepo proteklo vrijeme uz kafu nakon ručka uz ovaj film!

By LISA NESSELSON

A Gaumont Buena Vista Intl. release of a Gaumont/EFVE Films/TF1 Films production, with participation of Canal Plus. Produced by Alain Poire. Directed, written by Francis Veber.

Francois Pignon - Daniel Auteuil
Felix Santini - Gerard Depardieu
Guillaume - Thierry Lhermitte
Miss Bertrand - Michele Laroque
Belone - Michel Aumont
Kopel - Jean Rochefort
Christine - Alexandra Vandernoot


In "The Closet," writer-director Francis Veber's much-awaited followup to his hit comedy "The Dinner Game," a heterosexual milquetoast who's about to be fired keeps his job and inspires sudden awe at the office when his co-workers become convinced he's gay. Pic plugs a troika of locally beloved thesps into a clever premise that's good for many laughs, though far fewer helpless guffaws than its predecessor. Astute riff on reverse discrimination could be remade in any country where homosexuality is no longer taboo and political correctness is ripe for satire, but shouldn't be attempted without a cast as well oiled as this one. Pic opened in Gaul Jan. 17.

As in "The Dinner Game," the central character is again named Francois Pignon, played this time by Daniel Auteuil, an actor for whom the words "gifted" and "versatile" are beginning to seem far too pale. Audiences have traditionally been asked to laugh at the recurring character of Pignon (last played by the tubby Jacques Villeret), but here Pignon is the catalyst rather than the unrelieved scapegoat. Taking aim at a wide range of broad and petty injustices, Veber provides some excellent one-liners and plenty of situational humor, with Pignon's character anchoring the comedy of mistaken impressions by providing the calm center around which considerable lunacy revolves.

Still in love with his ex-wife after two years apart, Pignon, a kindly accountant who is unassuming to the point of near-invisibility, accidentally overhears the news that he's soon to be fired after 20 years. Pining for his wife and semi-estranged from his son, he thinks of ending it all. But his new next-door neighbor, Belone (Michel Aumont), employs deft psychology to dissuade him, making a new friend in the process.

Belone's radical solution is to ask Pignon for photos of himself. Using a computer, Belone makes racy montages by pasting Pignon's head on bodies photographed in a gay bar. By anonymously mailing the faked photos to Pignon's company, management will be forced to backpedal -- because the firing, after two decades of loyal service, could be construed as sexual discrimination.

Pignon says he could never pretend to be gay, but Belone assures him that's the beauty of the ruse. In light of this "new" information, it's those around him who will project new impressions -- from "He's pretty sexy after all" to "I always thought he must be a pedophile" -- onto the blank slate of Pignon's discreet demeanor.

Once the incriminating photos have made the rounds of office fax machines, the social satire starts in earnest. CEO Kopel (Jean Rochefort) reminds his staff it could be bad for business (the company manufactures condoms) if one of the firm's prime demographics learn a recently outed employee had been fired. So Pignon not only remains on board, but is treated with deference instead of derision.

PR director Guillaume (Thierry Lhermitte) decides to play a vicious prank on Felix (Gerard Depardieu), the personnel director and rugby team coach who's a homophobic jerk when he's not being a sexist, racist thug. He advises Felix to be extra nice to Pignon for the sake of the company. With Guillaume feeding him leading lines, Felix falls all over himself to seem tolerant, inviting Pignon to lunch, buying him gifts and engaging in such blatant favor-currying that Felix's wife assumes he's cheating on her with another woman.

Learning to be yourself by pretending to be something you're not is a cinematic chestnut given a few new flavors here. Thrust into the spotlight, the nerdy Pignon gradually finds himself transformed into a mensch.


Comic highlights include the CEO giving Asian businessmen an impromptu tour of the factory while Pignon's sexy fellow accountant, Miss Bertrand (Michele Laroque), who isn't convinced he's gay, tests her theory on him. As the gruff "man's man" who has a change of heart, Depardieu, who underwent emergency bypass surgery mid-shoot, lends all the right shadings to his role.

Lensing in the ultramodern company offices and a handful of nondescript urban locales is unfussy. Package is trimmed with a nicely dosed, if unmemorable, Vladimir Cosma score.

Camera (color, widescreen), Luciano Tovoli; editor, Georges Klotz; music, Vladimir Cosma; art director, Hugues Tissandier; costume designer, Jacqueline Bouchard; sound (Dolby), Bernard Bats, Francois Groult; assistant director, Bernard Seitz; casting, Francoise Menidrey, Franck Jouard. Reviewed at Gaumont Ambassade, Paris, Dec. 12, 2000. Running time: 80 MIN.


With: Stanislas Crevillen, Edgar Givry, Thierry Ashanti, Armelle Deutsch, Irina Ninova, Marianne Groves, Michele Garcia.

Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (2000) Aka Water Drops on Burning Rocks

Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (2000) Aka Water Drops on Burning Rocks

Director: François Ozon
Scenario: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, François Ozon
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Year: 2000
Duration: 82 min (video version)
Rating: 7.5/10

Actors: Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi, Ludivine Sagnier, Anna Levine

Description:
Moj bivši komšija je stariji čovijek, razveden i ima dvije udate ćerke! Svi u mojoj zgradi su ga voljeli, pa tako i ja! Obožavao sam sa njim da idem na ribanje ili da ujutro trčimo kroz obližnju šumu! Vazda je govorio trčanje održava ne samo tijelo nego i um!
Jednom je došao kod nas doma i reko mi da navijem sat, rano izjutra idemo da vadimo parangale koje je bio ostavio predhodni dan!
Sa razočarenjem sam to jutro vadio parangale, ništa na njima, kao da ih je stavio u kadu, a ne u more. Al dešava se i to!

Kako je kasnije ugrijalo otišli smo na obližnje izletište i tu popili nekoliko piva. Kasnije opet u baraku pa na more. Nakon što smo se okupali ležali smo i liješkarili. Gledao sam ga krišom i divio se kako se čovijek dobro drži. Zategnutog mišićavog tijela izgledao mije privlačnije od mojih vršnjaka! Godine su mu odavale jedino ruke i bore oko očiju! U jednom trenutku se okrenuo na leđa i primjetio sam da mu se kurac digao pa sam se nasmijao! Mrtav ladan ga je uzeo u ruku i pitao me je koliko često ga drkam! rekao sam mu najmanje dva puta na dan! Da ne mogu da zaspem ako ga ne izdrkam! Nasmijao sei rekao kada dodješ u moje godine biće ti dovoljno jednom dnevno!
I sada se nesmijem kada se toga sjetim! Nakon toa smo se ućutali i uživali na suncu. On je i dalje povremeno Mučio svoj onako podeblji kurac ali ja sam se trudio da se pravim da to ne primjećujem!
Prekinuo je tišinu pitajući me jesam li ikada imao seks sa nekim mojim vršnjakom? ja se malo zbunih al mu rekoh da nisam. On reče kada sam bio mlađi često sam sa jednim drugom imao seks! Ja kao zaprepašten rekoh kako bih i ja volio ali da nebih volio da neko pomisli da sam peder!
Ustao je, prišao mi i bez reči me uhvatio za kitu, prvo sledeće što je uradio je da mi je gurnuo kitu u usta! Taman sam počeo da uživam u pušenju, a on me prekine i reče: Ovo ćemo nastaviti neki drugi put! Nikad neznaš kada neko može da naiđe i vidi nas!
Danima sam drkao maštajući da imam seks sa njim, ali mi se nikada više nije ukazala ta prilika! Nedugo zatim je dobio infarkt i više vremena je provodio kod ćerke nego doma! Posjećivao sam ga redovno, a onda sam otišao na fakultet.

Odnos između starijeg muškarca i mlađih ljudi zaista može da bude nešto posebno. Iako najčešće takav odnos ne uključuje seks, vjerujem da ako se to i desi da je to zaista nešto jako, emotivno i strastveno!

Odnos između mladića i sredovječnog muškarca je opisao i Francois Ozon u Water Drops on Burning Rocks 2000. godine. Očito da je i Francois Ozon na neki način pripadnik Fassbinderove škole, ako ni počemu drugome ono po kontroverznosti svojih filmova! Ovaj film je adaptacija Fassbinderovog rukopisa koji je prvenstveno bio namjenjen za pozorišne predstave .

Iako nam film priča o odnosu između mladog i starijeg muškarca, u cjelu priču se ubacuju i dvije žene, takođe znatne generacijske razlike.
Zanimljivo je mi je bilo gledati dijaloge medju njima i vidjti koliko godine i iskustvo utiču na ponašanje ljudi i omogučavaju kompletnu kontrolu nad sopstvenim emocijama! POnekad i nad tuđim!

Inače slatko sam se nasmijao gledajući jednu scenu kada stari jebe jednu tek stasalu ribicu i ispituje je kako je, voli li svoj posao, kako se snalazi u njeu i slično. Ona jaše na njega i odgovara mu na pitanja.
Podsjetilo me na jednog isto starijeg lika koji me ispitivao šta ću da radim za vikend? kako mi je brat i kada ću da idemkod njega i slično, pri čemu nije prestajao da me jebe, sve dok u jednom momentu nisam više mogao izgovoriti ništa više od nekoliko samoglasnika!

By DAVID STRATTON

A Fidelite Prods./Les Films Alain Sarde production, in association with Euro Sage. (International sales: Roissy Films-Celluloid Dreams, Paris.) Produced by Marc Missonier. Co-producer, Kenzo Horikoshi. Directed, written by Francois Ozon, based on the play "Tropfen auf heisse Steine" by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Leopold ..... Bernard Giraudeau
Franz ..... Malick Zidi
Anna ..... Ludivine Sagnier
Vera ..... Anna Thompson

With his third feature, after "Sitcom" (1998) and "Criminal Lovers" (1999), Francois Ozon enters fascinating territory. This adaptation of a play written by German auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder when he was 19 years old, never performed in his lifetime and never filmed till now, represents a haunting return to the themes and concerns of one of the most influential film and theater directors of the '70s. Specialized theatrical distribution is likely for this perverse study in sexual game-playing, with plenty of ancillary action as well.

Fassbinder fans will especially be delighted with Ozon's tribute to the director (who died in 1982); "Water Drops on Burning Rocks" is directed much like a middle-period Fassbinder film, with the action confined to the apartment of the central character (not a single exterior shot) and the camera unblinkingly recording the action head-on. The deadpan humor, also typical of Fassbinder, has been faithfully reproduced here, the only minor incongruity being the casting of French actors as these quintessential German characters.

The scene-setting opening credits are printed over delightfully cheesy, garishly colored picture postcard images of German cities in the early '70s. Ozon has kept to a theatrical structure, dividing the film into four acts, the first of which begins with the arrival of Leopold (Bernard Giraudeau), a 50-ish insurance salesman, and his pickup, 20-year-old Franz (Malick Zidi) at Leopold's apartment. Franz, who is naive but not that naive, was on his way to meet his fiancee, Anna, when he allowed himself to be picked up by the older man. The getting-to-know-you scene that follows is beautifully written and acted, and ends with Leopold instructing the young man to disrobe and wait for him in the bedroom.

Act two takes up the story six months later, with Franz now completely at home in his lover's apartment, where he's lived ever since their meeting. But the sensitive young man, who is interested in literature and other arts, is increasingly at odds with the mercurial, demanding Leopold, who goes away on long trips and, upon return, is often irritable to the point of being impossible. Still, the relationship endures, at least for the time being.

In act three, the abandoned Anna (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up while Leopold is away; beautiful, assertive and determined, she soon has Franz in bed with her and is delighted to experience the new techniques he's learned from Leopold. When Leopold returns unexpectedly, and then Vera (Anna Thompson), Leopold's transsexual ex-lover, also turns up, the stage is set for some complex power-shifting and sexual game-playing --- all of which is amusing for a while but which concludes tragically.

One of the most fascinating elements here is the teenage Fassbinder's astuteness about sexual one-upmanship and the shifting of power from one partner to another. One may speculate why the play was never performed during his lifetime; perhaps the character of Franz was too close to that of the author.

It goes without saying that the material wouldn't work without a strong cast, and here Ozon's casting comes up trumps. Giraudeau is perfect as the jaded, urbane, fatally charming Leopold, while Zidi, in only his second film, conveys both the innocence and the tenacity of young Franz with considerable assurance. Another relative newcomer, Sagnier is a knockout as the beautiful, seemingly innocent Anna, who learns a powerful lesson about the importance of good sex. In an off-the-wall but successful piece of casting, Yank Thompson provides a strong presence in the strange role of Vera, who is the focus of attention at pic's climax.

Ozon's direction respects the theatrical nature of the piece but is sufficiently cinematic to lift the film from its stage origins. A highlight in the mostly funny fourth act is a scene in which all four protagonists suddenly launch into an impromptu dance ensemble. Technical credits are all first-rate.

Camera (color), Jeanne Lapoirie; editor, Laurence Bawedin; production designer, Arnaud de Moleron; costume designer, Pascaline Chavanne; sound (Dolby digital/DTS), Eric Devulder; assistant director , Hubert Bardin. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (competing), Feb. 13, 2000. Running time: 85 MIN.