This serio-comic exploration of cross-dressing, gender fluidity and desire is by turns mischievous, sentimental and silly. Claire’s best friend Laura dies, leaving behind a baby and grieving husband, David. Soon after, Claire discovers David’s secret: that he cross-dresses in Laura’s clothes, his way of keeping her alive—though he isn’t gay. Claire is soon giving David grooming and fashion tips, their clandestine relationship unbeknownst to her husband. A delicious and frothy fantasia with a teasing erotic frisson.2014, France, 108 minutes, rated R.
Post-film discussion: A Screenwriter’s Perspective, with J.D. Zeik, Professor of Screenwriting at Purchase College.
“This delectable entertainment is as surprising for its continually evolving (and involving) dynamics of desire as for its slow-building emotional power.” – Justin Chang, Variety
“A delectable riff on transformation, desire and sexuality that blends the heightened reality of melodrama with mischievous humor and an understated strain of Hitchcockian suspense. . . .” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
“Exceptionally graceful and accomplished, Ozon’s film challenges our received notions of normalcy, intimacy, and love. . . .” – Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer
