Accused of murder, a young woman admits to the deed but maintains she was defending herself against sexual assault. Public sympathy flows towards her, and soon she’s celebrated not as a criminal but as a heroine. But this fame comes with a catch: what if it’s all a sham, and the crime was committed by someone else?The idea of having to cover up the fact you didn’t kill someone has the neat perversity that is the hallmark of French writer-director Francois Ozon .
The letdown is Isabelle Huppert, who appears halfway through as the silent movie queen turned blackmailer Odette Chaumette . She’s meant to steal the show, and we’re cued to expect great things by her extravagant look: black opera gloves, sickly green eyeshadow, a mass of red curls topped with a hat that might belong to a surrealist witch.
Yet none of this feels entirely right for Huppert, who thrives on the outrageous but also on understatement, as opposed to the kind of broad clowning required here. She rattles off her lines and waves her arms around, but the core idea of the character doesn’t entirely land: it’s not clear how shrewd Odette really is under all her affectations, or how far she in turn might qualify as victim rather than villain.
The apparent feminist message also comes with a dash of irony, given the story could also be taken as a joke at the expense of the modern slogan, “Believe women”. Is that suggestive ambiguity, or just having it both ways? You be the judge.Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees.
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