VagabondJ Honestly, I cannot say I enjoy this film too much. Although for years Ozon has impressed me with his penetrative observation and depiction of human psychology,which comes into blossom in many of his great works such as Sitcom and Swimming Pool.This film somehow reminds me of Hard Candy,which you cannot put any judgment upon as the moral code is totally invalid there.In this film,we have a beautiful girl Alice -half sweet and half vicious; an introverted and simple boy Luc.The couple plan a murder and escape to a wood where they unexpectedly encounter an odd man (whom,we soon find out,is a gay) And the story takes a turn at this point. In this man's seedy and dark house,awful things take place -while Alice is locked in the basement,Luc is treated as a sex doll of the old man. Later they even notice the body of Sid,the guy murdered by them in the basement. Eventually,like most clichéd thrillers,they escape and attract the police,paying their penalty.While I didn't find the main plot much original,I did feel that the sub-plot quite interesting.Firstly,it doesn't expose Luc's homosexual tendency clearly,which leaves the audiences to figure out whether Luc kills Sid out of jealousy.In fact,several details gives away this message,including the most important one: Luc cannot have a 'hard-on'when he's with Alice.Secondly,it is quite doubtful that whether Alice truly loves Luc.The dream sequence in the basement shows that Alice has fantasies about Sid yet is essentially disappointed over her weak boyfriend.Therefore,the reason why she wants to kill Sid is perhaps a sort of perversity -get high from visceral stimulation.Ultimately,the relationship between the two is a rather perverse one.As for the morality of the film,I'd say it deconstructs any stable moral system and points no way out;what's more,audiences are put in a strange position where they cannot draw a clear line between the right and the wrong.Alice,both sweet and vicious,can be pitiful in the basement and wicked in rest of the time;the old man is a gay and a cannibalist,yet in the end he lets the couple go;the police,so-called imposer of justice,shoot Alice mercilessly and beat the old man...perhaps the only character that is slightly 'positive'is Luc,yet he is a murder and a potential gay.These explain why I call the film amoral.It is so cynical that it negates all the characters.The audiences are left there drinking down the poison of criminality but unable to find any antidote.That being said,I cannot figure out the intention of Ozon -a social critique or just another encouragement to voyeurism? Or both? Because if anyone walks out of the cinema saying 'I'm now a better person',I doubt it.But if one says the film is for those who have naive views about the world,much appreciated -it's an eye opener.

The_Void Francois Ozon has made a name for himself in modern foreign cinema for being more daring and more inventive than most directors would dare to be, and Criminal Lovers is a film that belongs towards the top of his already impressive list of director's credits. Criminal Lovers is a modernisation of the classic Hansel and Gretal tale, which is fused with the 'criminals on the run' theme of which such earlier films such as Badlands and Natural Born Killers utilised so well. Typically for Ozon, there is more to the film than just what it's plot presents and with this common theme the modern day genius has put together a multi-layered work of art, that will be seen differently by whoever sees it. On one hand, it's an exciting crime thriller, but on the other hand it's a tale of redemption, forgiveness and/or retribution. The way that you take the movie will definitely depend on your views on the movie's themes, such as the central one that depicts murder. The film is almost too skillful for it's own good, as it masks it's underlying themes behind it's visage of a shock movie; but if you're smart, they're more than evident.The man who dared to insert a musical number into a Rainer Werner Fassbinder screenplay hasn't exactly been reserved with the shocks in this movie, and the easily offended should still make sure that they steer clear of it. The film has homosexual undertones galore and the way that the murder happens, along with the amount of sex in the movie, isn't exactly restrained either. The acting is largely good, with the two leads, Natacha Régnier and Jérémie Renier, standing out the most. They both bring exactly the right mood to their characters, which are fascinating specimens in themselves. The way that Ozon has handled the screenplay is superb, as the dialogue is believable and so are all of the character's motivations. Making your audience believe you is one of the hardest things to achieve when penning a screenplay, and Ozon has proved time and time again that he is capable of doing just that. The idea of updating the classic children's story of Hansel and Gretal is definitely a good one, and this film draws much of it's appeal from that central backbone. All in all; kudos, Ozon!

Juha Varto Ozon's masterpiece is of the public power of ideas that feminism and freedom of sex have fabricated. A young man, Luc, is calculatingly used by a girl Alice who really has a will to power. She intentionally makes Luc to kill a guy: she lies that some guys have raped her and taken photos of it. After a runaway Luc and Alice (and the corpse) are captured by a hermit who has an eye to Luc's boyish charm. He frees Luc from institutionalized interest to girls, even to such extreme that finally Luc takes him as a savior. But the story is also full of surprises. Luc and Alice escape the hermit's lodge and for the first time have sex. In a beautiful landscape they enjoy each other and the nature around them behaves like Disney Dream, cute animals of every size come and cuddle; this is a sharp and deadly picture of the expectations a Westener has when in movies! This work is quite certainly an intentional anti-feminist in spirit, and it also gives the argument, why. Aside of that, the fable is well balanced and beautifully filmed, like a chamber piece.

dbdumonteil When I was a child ,"Hansel und Gretel" used to scare me to death.Even if they finally succeed at escaping from the clutches of the witch,some fears never fade away.The fear of the unknown forest where any person can be an enemy.The fear of unknown people you meet in the dark corners of the streets .The fear of being kidnapped and taken away far from your family.When I saw "les amants criminels " for the first time ,I had the same sensation as when I read the fairytale ;rarely,I felt so ill-at-ease ,in need of fresh air :Ozon's sinister tale stirred my emotions ,my subconscious,some of my childhood fears that never went away.There are a lot of hints at childhood here:outside the Grimm tale,the heroine's name is Alice (on the other side of the mirror),and the scene near the cascade ,in its quietness, where the two lovers are surrounded by animals ,recalls some Disney movie.And mainly ,mainly ,Ozon ,among only a few contemporary directors, has completely understood Hitchcock's great lesson:expect the unexpected .After their crime,the two lovers start out ,as Janet Leigh did in 1960,and I dare you to guess what will happen then!Ozon is the most gifted contemporary French director.