Eine neue Freundin

To avoid spoilers I won't discuss the plot. I'll just say that the movie is about people, in all their strangeness, and you'll come to understand and care about even the oddest among them. It's an enjoyable movie. It contains some tasteful but very hot sex scenes that mean it's not for the kids.

This film is better than it sounded when I read the synopsis in the guide. It's not overly salacious or politically correct but it does put another nail in the coffin for boring white straight guys. It's a story about grief perhaps but it seems to celebrate people accepting who they are even if that's a little left of Centre, like cross dressing. The lead actress is fantastic at her role. It's a meaty premise, lightly handled with French charm. You don't have to be a rainbow warrior to enjoy it. Sure it's a little too neatly wrapped up, but it's like a little pomegranate in your salad. It kinda wakes you up.

A strange film that seems to want to make people think about sexuality with cross-dressing. Well played especially by Anaïs Demoustier who seems to be at the height of excitement on several occasions. Ah, yes, it's a pretty dramatic and ironic comedy.

In the summary, I'm only quoting IMDb's storyline for this film. This is all you need to know about its plot.

I just like Ozon's films. I have my favourites, but in all of them I find what I found on Une nouvelle amie: Good story, provocative, even thrilling; good script; well filmed; very nice cinematography; excellent performances. Both Romain Duris and Anaïs Demoustier fit perfectly in their roles. I'd already seen Duris in a couple of films where he provided very good and convincing performances (I now recall De battre mon coeur s'est arrêté; very nice), thus I was happy to find him again (I watched the film only knowing it was by Ozon; that's all I needed to know) and, at the same time, quite surprised about his role. I knew nothing about Anaïs Demoustier and just loved her. Not only she gave a very nice performance but she is also beautiful.

If you are a Ozon fan, like myself, you cannot miss this film.

If you just like plain good cinema, give this film a try. You will enjoy it.

The first film I saw which had a transvestite character was The Damned, some 50 years ago. In the intervening years we've had any number of accounts of a man (why almost always a man?) who has to dress as a woman. Ozon's film has a stale air about it which works against our enjoyment.

For me Anais Demoustier is the sole strong actor in this; Duris and Personnaz give capable support but she must carry the story, and carry it she does very memorably. The feeling is always that punches are being pulled, that possibly painful moments are being glossed over. I expected more anger from Personnaz's character when he discovered the deception (the weekend in the country with Duris, instead of the mother's house). Everybody is so well behaved, it doesn't ring true. La Cage aux Folles had more sting to it, you knew how bigoted some people were.

I haven't really enjoyed an Ozon film since 8 femmes of 2002. He's coasting, giving us tried and true subjects and clichéd situations.