Product: 8 Women (2002)
Rating: 5.0
So much fun!
I love Francois Ozon. His films are twisted, thought provoking and full of sometimes overt, sometimes covert (homo)sexual tension (see Swimming Pool or Criminal Lovers). So when I heard about 8 Women I thought Ozon would miss the mark with this one. Thankfully he didn't. Although this is by far the tamest of Ozon's films, his directorial skills and ability to tell a thoughtfully compelling story that is never uninteresting and keeps you on the edge of your seat is just as evident in this film as in his others. Ozon isn't a stranger to musical numbers in his films (remember the sexy dance number used as the theatrical trailer to Water Drops on Burning Rocks?) so I wasn't surprised at the first infectious pop musical number. When the second musical number made its appearance I was a bit surprised until I realized it was a vehicle for each character to reveal her personal pathos. I then looked forward to each new musical number that appeared. The plot is your typical Agatha Christie whodunit fare where everyone is lying to hide their secret, where no amount of backstabbing and name-calling is enough. What really makes this a great film is the attention to detail and the beautiful, beautiful women. The film has that gorgeous 50s Technicolor look, the costumes are impeccable 50s French couture and the women are so gorgeous you're hard pressed to pick which one is the most beautiful. This a film that is meant purely for entertainment and boy is it ever entertaining. How can you not like it?