Review of Criminal Lovers (1999) by James C — 11 Oct 2008

Fascinating film, loosely derived from the Grimm tale Hansel and Gretel, in which two white teens (virgin boy and intense, poetry-loving girl) conspire to kill a gorgeous Arab boy at their school. After the crime, they enter a forest to dispose of the body, which puts them into the power of a mysterious woodsman who kidnaps and keeps them prisoner, using the boy as his sex slave and shoving the girl in the cellar with their murder victim's dead body. Bizarre sex games, inter-generational buggery and even cannibalism come and go before the kids escape, enjoy a brief moment of sexual consummation before falling into the hands of a faceless Law.

The film could be interpreted by Freudian or other symbolic means, but it is best seen as a series of provocative affects, in which the viewer is goaded, poked, prodded, aroused, repulsed and emotionally involved with what s/he sees in order that they be taken on a journey to the furthest and wildest reaches of their desire. Do we want the Arab boy's lithe body, alive or dead? do we desire the punishment of the murderers? do we blame the girl for leading her boyfriend astray? are we turned on by the woodsman buggering the boy? are we wanting them to be prevented from ending the film as a happy heterosexual couple? do we desire the girl's death? are we touched by the glances of romantic collusion between the woodsman and the boy? All of these questions are provocative and suggest what an extreme ride into transgressive thought Les Amants Criminals really is.

Ozon directs beautifully, each moment given its proper weight, with lighting, sound and camera angles perfect at every point, conspiring to give the viewer a wonderfully disorientating experience.