IN THE HOUSE (Dans la maison) (2012)

Genre: Drama/Comedy
Director: François Ozon
Cast: Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Emmanuelle Seigner, Denis Ménochet, Bastien Ughetto, Jean-François Balmer, Yolande Moreau
RunTime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene)
Released By: Festive Films & Cathay-Keris Films
Official Website: https://www.facebook.com/DansLaMaison.lefilm

Opening Day: 4 April 2013

Synopsis:  A sixteen-year-old boy insinuates himself into the house of a fellow student from his literature class and writes about it in essays for his French teacher. Faced with this gifted and unusual pupil, the teacher rediscovers his enthusiasm for his work, but the boy's intrusion will unleash a series of uncontrollable events.

Movie Review:

Truth be told, we weren’t terribly excited when we read the synopsis of French director Francois Ozon’s latest work, which bagged the main prize at the 2012 San Sebastian International Film Festival, the Golden Shell, as well as the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay. Adapted from Juan Mayorga’s play The Boy in the Last Row, the story’s protagonist is a 16 year old boy who finds himself delving deep into a family’s home matters, after what started out as a literature assignment from his teacher to chronicle a day in his life. The somewhat failed educator becomes obsessed with the essay and what follows is a series of unexpected happenings.

Sounds like a rather mundane plot which probably won’t pull any surprises? Trust the 45 year old filmmaker to come up with a highly engaging screenplay to keep your eyes glued to the screen for the film’s entire 105 minute runtime. From the catchy opening credits to the impacting last scene, you’d be, for a lack of a better description, obsessed with how things will turn out in the boy’s essay.

The critically acclaimed director who also helmed the very entertaining 8 Femmes (2000), the gripping Swimming Pool (2003) and the pensive 5 x 2 (2004), doesn’t resort to gimmicky Hollywoodtactics like high budgeted gun fights, car chases and loud explosions to engage his viewers. Instead, he has a rock solid story and a very capable cast to unfold his tale of obsession, fact and fiction. What stands out is Phillipe Rombi’s score which brings out the tension, humour and drama with the accompanying dialogue, which may seem monotonously drab when left on its own. Jerome Elmaras’ cinematography may not be fanciful like his Hollywoodcounterparts’, but it serves the story well with its grounded approach. The one hour and forty five minute runtime feels just right, thanks to Laure Gardette’s well paced editing.

Ernst Umhauer plays the teenager who discovers his talent for writing through his teacher, and the young actor delivers a memorable performance under Ozon’s masterful direction. His co star Fabrice Luchini has you emphathising with his situation – a failed writer who chose to go into teacher, but never giving up his dream to create stories. The 61 actor plays the role confidently, and has his audiences believing every justification he comes up with for his rather unusual behaviour. Perhaps the most familiar name in the cast list, Kristin Scott Thomas has screen presence as the teacher’s wife who simply wants her unorthodox art gallery to do well.  Watch out also for Emmanuelle Seigner, better known as French Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski’s wife, who plays the “most bored woman in the world”. Her performance as the woman holding the household together is almost heart breaking.

This is a must watch for all film lovers, and one must admit films like this do not appear very often in local cinemas. When the credits roll, you’d be highly impressed by how a clever screenplay can keep you entertained and actually feeling intelligent, without going in the direction of what Hollywooddefines as “blockbuster”. 

Movie Rating:

(An entertaining piece of art which will have you redefining the concepts of obsession, fact and fiction)

Review by John Li