François Ozon looks beneath appearances
François Ozon changes the tone of his source material in his new film, Une nouvelle amie
François Ozon drew inspiration from master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock for his latest film, Une nouvelle amie, but he also looked to the seediness of American director Brian De Palma, known for such films as Scarface, Carrie and the transvestite slasher flick Dressed to Kill.
Une nouvelle amie is based on the 1985 short story The New Girlfriend, by British writer Ruth Rendell, which Ozon adapted and expanded upon, changing the tone of the tale about a woman’s relationship with a man who begins wearing women’s clothing following the death of his wife.
“The original was a crime story in the spirit of the TV show (Alfred) Hitchcock Presents,” Ozon recounted in a sit-down interview during last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
“It’s just 15 pages, and at the end of the short story, the woman kills the cross-dresser. It was a very sad story about a woman who doesn’t accept her homosexuality.”
Ozon was drawn to the intrigue, but as always, the French director couldn’t help but let his fascination with human relationships shine through.
In his hands, Une nouvelle amie becomes a more nuanced tale in which the young woman, Claire (played with wonderful naiveté by Anaïs Demoustier), is increasingly attracted to the gender-bending exploits of David, a.k.a. Virginia (Romain Duris, loving every minute).
“I didn’t want a crime story, I wanted a love story,” Ozon said. “I wanted to show how the cross-dressing aspect helped two people fall in love.”
Initially, Claire is shocked by David’s secret, but as the film proceeds, she becomes increasingly excited by his effeminate alter ego. For Ozon, who knew he was dealing with some touchy subject matter, Claire’s wideeyed world view offered a way to let audiences process the osé antics of David/Virginia.
“I didn’t want something too realistic,” the director said.
I didn’t want a crime story, I wanted a love story. I wanted to show how the cross-dressing aspect helped two people fall in love.
“I know it’s a very subversive topic which can shock people, so I wanted a narration like a fairy tale, to involve the audience in the story of this woman (Claire), seeing everything through her eyes. What happens (in the film) is very disturbing, but because of her you accept the evolution of these characters.”
Demoustier’s eyes light up the screen, telling us everything we need to know about her fluctuating emotional state as she processes the situations she finds herself in: from her shock and anger upon her discovery of David’s hobby, to her giddiness at their first excursion to the shopping mall, and her arousal as she ogles Virginia in some of her more revealing outfits.
For Demoustier, preparation for the role was less a question of research and more about being in the moment and playing off her co-star.
“(My job) was to be totally present and connected to my (acting) partner, Romain,” she said, “to be very open and wait to see what happens. When you’re in that kind of state, it’s very pleasant. You just feel things. Claire is surprised, discovering things.
“At first, she’s kind of shy and not very expressive. But thanks to the death of her best friend (David’s wife), little by little she finds her place in the world and expresses her femininity. She’s not used to taking risks or feeling danger, but through Virginia she discovers how life can be when you’re free.”
Duris jumped at the opportunity to play a character with such a rich double life. But though Virginia provided an obvious physical manifestation of David’s feminine side, tapping into that wasn’t much different from taking on any other role, the actor explained.
“In every character, you have femininity,” he said. “Even if you’re playing a virile guy, somewhere there is femininity. When you have a character like this, you just push it a little more. You have to have fun with it. François saw that when we met, that I really wanted the part.”
Duris did some research into the reality of transgender people, but he was careful not to overdo it. He wanted to preserve the innocence of his character’s actions, and not have them be informed by too much outside chatter.
“I saw things like Bambi, a documentary from France about a guy who wanted to be a bride since childhood; it was very touching. And I saw another documentary, by Chantal Poupaud (Crossdresser), which inspired me in terms of the daily lives of guys like that, making that kind of transformation.”
Both actors were inspired by Ozon’s hands-on approach. The director works fast, and stands directly behind the camera while his actors are performing.
“He’s very talented, and very precise,” Demoustier said. “On set he’s a bit like a child; he’s very enthusiastic. He has a very intense energy. It’s very cool to feel that. The rhythm of François is so strange at the beginning. He’s always in a hurry. Everything has to be done quickly. He’s always saying, ‘Go! Go! Go!’ But when you go into this energy, when you follow him, it’s very exciting.”