Customer Reviews

Water Drops on Burning Rocks (Widescreen)

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With his deliriously rich fourth feature, Water Drops On Burning Rocks, François Ozon (See The Sea, Under The Sand, 8 Women) tackles the legacy of the great Rainer Werner Fassbinder in fascinating ways, even as he refines his own distinctive voice. This brilliantly acted film is alternately tender and sardonic, visually opulent yet claustrophobic, and wise beyond its years.

Although you do not need to have seen a single Fassbinder to enjoy Ozon's film, those people familiar with the German enfant terrible will recognize his perennial theme of the vicious circles of exploitation - with all of the attendant love, loathing and unsettling but sometimes hilarious humor. Yet his worldview is refracted through a new, and razor-sharp, perspective. Middle-aged Leopold and 20-year-old Franz obviously love each other, but their familiar, and all-too-human, inability to communicate divides them. Into that breach Leopold is only too eager to bring exploitation, as he turns Franz into a hausfrau, albeit one in lederhosen instead of pantyhose. Typical of Fassbinder, we see the exploitation spiral into a second generation, as Franz uses Leopold's strategies on his former girlfriend, Anna, when she makes a surprise visit in the hope of snagging back her beau. Perhaps the most poignant, and surprising, example of these circles - within circles - of need and frustration comes when we learn the story of the mysterious Vera, Leopold's former lover.

Ozon also uses, and creatively plays with, Fassbinder's visual style, especially as seen in the ravishing Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Like Fassbinder he narrows the visual field with edges of walls, doors, and windows to re-frame and imprison the characters, and employs frontal shots, extreme angles, and merciless close-ups; although Ozon favore more diffused lighting. Like his predecessor, Ozon wrests genuine visual beauty from the claustrophobia of the single hermetic setting. He also paid meticulous attention to a dead-on recreation of a 70s bachelor pad, from clunky rotary-dial phones to swamp-like shag rugs.

There is also much of originality here; and Ozon had not set out to make a neo-Fassbinder picture. As he remarked, he had "wanted to make a film about a couple for a long time.... about the difficulty of living together and putting up with the daily routine. In discovering Fassbinder's play, I realized that I didn't need to write an original screenplay.... Funny and moving at the same time, the breakdown of the couple touched me."

Ozon brings the play to life, inspiring in his four cast members performances of outstanding range and depth. Fassbinder is justly praised for his use of actors, but as a disciple of Brecht and Godard he often emphasized the political ideas which his characters embody, creating an intentional distance between audience and the allegorized figures onscreen. With Ozon, the ideas are there for anyone interested in extracting them, but there is more spontaneity. And Ozon is already a master at revealing increasingly subtle psychological layers in his extended scenes with characters - most notably Franz - alone. To take one example, Franz in the bathtub reading Heinrich Heine's poem "Lorelei" is not just some highbrow beefcake shot. Ozon and actor Malik Zidi show us the minute workings of Franz's mind and emotions, in this intensely private moment. Even in the astonishing final scenes, when the film reaches its ironic (and typically Fassbinder) climax, Ozon has his actors emphasize the flesh-and-blood humanity of the people whose lives they are not only inhabiting but revealing. I am in no way denigrating Fassbinder; but this is a major, albeit subtle, difference between the two filmmakers.

The picture's most delightful moment - which Fassbinder would never have filmed - is the wild dance number in the fourth (of four) acts, using an infectious 70s Euro-pop anthem, "Dance the Samba With Me." Ozon keeps Fassbinder's head-on visual style - the quartet arranged in a (ahem!) straight row - but the energy is purely his own. Not only does the dance give a burst of adrenaline, as it hurls the film towards its climax, it also reveals character. We vividly see one reason for Leopold's phenomenal sex appeal: His swiveling hips might have turned even Elvis's head. This scene also shows that Ozon is part of the modern French cinematic tradition, recalling the whackily unforgettable madison danced by Godard's titular Band of Outsiders (1964).

Comparisons aside, Ozon has created an exceptional film in his own right: Funny, caustic, stylish, disturbing, and memorable. He has brought a strikingly fresh vision to this wittily pessimistic play of ideas (about love, power, and gender roles) and tangled emotions. And although Fassbinder might have been surprised by the changes (like grafting one of his most personal later films, In a Year of 13 Moons, onto the final act of one of his earliest plays), you can imagine him reveling in Ozon's accomplished visual style (both allusive and original), his command of narrative rhythm, the richness of the performances, and even those wonderfully unique moments - like the samba - which just might have set Rainer Werner's own toes a-tapping.

Capsule review:

An entertainingly dark sexual farce about the antics of a cranky businessman and his 19 year-old male lover when the boy's ex-girlfriend tries to rekindle the flame. Peculiar, charming Fassbinder work. If you like art house films, try this one.

AKA 'Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes'

Actors: Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi, Ludivine Sagnier. Directed by François Ozon. 1999 France Kodak Color 90 min. WS Dolby Digital 2.0 In Français+Deutsch. Subtitles: English. Drama/Period 1970s.

To concentrate on the unbelievable elements of the plot is to miss the point I think. I'm not sure what the point is, but it's a funny film, and the characters are certainly interesting. Ludivine Sagnier is superb as Anna, Franz's ex-girlfriend.

You could do a lot worse, and you could do a lot better.

Okay, I'm not usually this harsh with my movie reviews. I usually like to give some leeway to movies, especially if they're *really* trying to express some sort of artistic quality or something. But this one so truly falls short, it's remarkable how bad it is. Seriously, if "no stars" were an option, I'd be clicking on that one.

The movie starts with Franz, 19, sitting around in Leopold's apartment, chatting, drinking, playing some games. Leopold is clearly a gentleman with some age on him. How Franz got to be it his situation is unclear. Franz also talks openly about his girlfriend, Ana, whom he intends to marry soon.

Inexplicably, however, Franz spends the night and in the very next scene, we realize that Franz has moved in, and the two are now lovers. Franz then promptly assumes a submissive, meek housewife role, and in fact, for whatever reason, feels like he had to endure a slew of verbal abuse from Leopold. Can we say co-dependency?

Ana shows up in the middle of this debacle, and the viewer is (or, at least, I am) led to believe that Franz will come to his senses. No such luck. Heck, they even have sex -- perhaps Franz can now realize what a screwed-up life he's living with Leopold now? Nope.

Indeed, even the arrival of a former boyfriend of Leopold (who is now a woman) is not enough to snap Franz out of it.

And this is also where all of a sudden, any tenuous connection that this movie might have had to reality is completely lost. One would suppose that, as Ana has somewhat rekindled whatever spark Franz once might have had for her, SHE would at least dislike Leopold enough to slap some sense into either of them. We should only be so lucky.

All logic and reason (except MAYBE for Franz) suddenly flee with alarming alacrity at this point. People do things that make NO sense to me whatsoever, and I'm left scratching my head. Well, more than just scratching my head, but upset and confused at the very least. I mean, Ana LIKES the man who stole her boyfriend away from her and treats him like dirt? Ana is EXCITED by the prospect of dancing with Leopold and, indeed, wants to have sex with him? Come on!

Don't bother to see this movie. It's truly not worth it. It's two hours you won't ever get back.

Francois Ozon is one of the new wave of French directors, who have made their mark by the sheer force fo their talent. And while his latest 8 Femmes, has taken France by storm, and has made his name on an European and International level, his earlier films show the signs of a great director.
I saw Water Drops yesterday, having no expectations at all..Just a movie on cable to kill my sunday afternoon, and i was pleasently surprised and captivated.
The story based on Fassbinder's play is typical of the late German director..gay themed, complex, full of tortured souls, and pessimistic. But Ozon gives the film a new life, with his brilliant camera work, and his obvious sympathy for the characters.
Although the ending leaves a lot to be desired, and prevents me from giving the film full marks, it is the wondeful actors that keeps you watching in fascination.
Giraudeau and Zidi give their best performances to date as the gay couple, with a complex relationship full of passion, quarrels and the need for fulfillment.
As for Ludivine Sagnier, not only she is very beautiful, but her acting is very good, as well as Anna Thomson aka Anna Levine, an underrated American actress that did some excellent indie and european films.
The dance scene is probably a bit weird , watching it in the context of the whole film, but it adds some humour to the Fassibinderesque bleak atmosphere.
The choice of music, I thought was very good as well. The German songs complement the film beautifully.
The film has some nudity, but it is not explicit in a voyeuristic sense. Like most French films, it comes naturally and very believable, as opposed to the somehow added scenes for the viewer's pleasure in most American films.
So Water Drops is an intense above average film for cinema lovers that should be appreciated for its acting, direction and even music.

This bizarre little French film is based on a play by Fassbinder. A 50-year-old gay man (Leopold) meets and seduces a 19-year-old straight man (Franz). They move in together and quickly end up in a rut and bickering like an old married couple. Franz improbably takes on the role of the nagging, passive-aggressive housewife, even dressing in leiderhosen at one point! Leopold begins to pull away and Franz fears that Leopold will leave him for another man. The situation is complicated when Franz's ex-fiancee reappears, tries to win him back, and ends up falling for Leopold instead. Add in an unexpected visit from Leopold's ex-lover who was a man but became a woman, and the stage is set.

The tone of the film is very broad satire (although I'm not sure what it is satirizing). It's hard to take this film seriously, but the actors dig into their parts with such zeal that it's also hard to dislike it. However, I'm not sure what the point of the film was. Aside from a few chuckles, I didn't enjoy watching it. Not recommended.

I just love to listen to people speaking French. This explains my attraction to French film: I'll give a French film alot of leeway to overcome its shortcomings. Which, of course, means I've seen an awful lot of bad French cinema.

Such is the case with this movie. But, to be fair, this has some very attractive elements: a single setting (all the action is confined to an apartment in Berlin in the 1970's), very few characters (here, 2 characters, with 2 more showing up about halfway through) and lots of dialogue. In short, a character study. Only here, Ozon isn't out for a character study, more for a study, in black comedy, of sexual dynamics. Great premise.

The film is set up like a play, shown in four acts. Act One is the seduction: 50-something bachelor and insurance salesman Leopold has brought home 19 year old Franz who is engaged to be married to Anna. It's staged as a slow seduction, and after much talk about past relationships, and a game of Go (or some similar game), Leopold makes his move. Act Two takes place 6 months later. The two are living together and Leopold has turned tyrannical and short-tempered; Franz is love-struck and dependant. There is wonderful tension in both Act One and Two, both humorous and a bit diabolical; it's great stuff. In Act Three we have the arrival of Anna, Franz's ex-fiancee, and then in Act Four, the arrival of Leopold's ex-girlfriend, a transexual. Things get a little complicated, to be sure, and Ozon really steps up the satire. I even laughed out loud a few times.

However, the whole thing is very uneven and the story never really goes anywhere. What keeps you from abandoning it along the way is its great atmosphere (it does a great job of evoking the 70's) and the performances of the two lead actors, which are just serious enough and at the same time just campy enough to keep it interesting.

When it was over, I couldn't believe I hadn't turned the damn thing off a good hour ago. But for all its shortcomings, I couldn't stop watching. Maybe it was just all that French :-)