In the house is a movie, like a lot of Ozon's work, that unveils secret and repressed desires. Frustrations are also a key element to the movie and the plot is based on a need coming from every character, that makes the story go forward, at almost any price.
This story is narrated through the lens of Claude, a student whose french teacher sees an incredibly huge potential as a writer in him. But what's the most interesting in this story, is how through his essays, Claude manipulates his teacher and manipulates the reality of the story. This movie has a complex narrative that is happening in different places but that are all connected through a simple sheet of paper, showing the power of words. But what's the most interesting and disturbing at times, is Claude's interpretation of what is Realism for him. It is not a coincidence if the major literary figure in this movie is Gustave Flaubert, one of the greatest representatives of 19th century realism. Because Claude says it, he only writes what he sees and what happens around him. And we clearly see that when he starts imagining what he is writing, it doesn't work. That obsessive need is what makes Claude all along the movie, becoming what could name a manipulative sociopath, and his teacher a complice of his acts because he only sees himself in his student, and doesn't want him to reproduce the same mistakes that he already made.
This is a great stimulating movie, where (at the beginning especially) Kristin Scott Thomas and Fabrice Luchini are kind of off, but then the intrigue catches you and I challenge anyone who watches this movie, not to be caught by this wonderfully unsettling and thrilling movie.
This story is narrated through the lens of Claude, a student whose french teacher sees an incredibly huge potential as a writer in him. But what's the most interesting in this story, is how through his essays, Claude manipulates his teacher and manipulates the reality of the story. This movie has a complex narrative that is happening in different places but that are all connected through a simple sheet of paper, showing the power of words. But what's the most interesting and disturbing at times, is Claude's interpretation of what is Realism for him. It is not a coincidence if the major literary figure in this movie is Gustave Flaubert, one of the greatest representatives of 19th century realism. Because Claude says it, he only writes what he sees and what happens around him. And we clearly see that when he starts imagining what he is writing, it doesn't work. That obsessive need is what makes Claude all along the movie, becoming what could name a manipulative sociopath, and his teacher a complice of his acts because he only sees himself in his student, and doesn't want him to reproduce the same mistakes that he already made.
This is a great stimulating movie, where (at the beginning especially) Kristin Scott Thomas and Fabrice Luchini are kind of off, but then the intrigue catches you and I challenge anyone who watches this movie, not to be caught by this wonderfully unsettling and thrilling movie.