Toronto Film Festival Dailies

At TIFF I attended the premiere screening of The New Girlfriend by director François Ozon starring Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier. A Canada-France co-production, the performances were extraordinary played with a particular sensitivity and poignancy. The story is a bit convoluted as a  bereaved cross-dresser husband is accidentally discovered "en costume" by his equally devastated dead wife's married best friend (confusing already isn't it?). Both mourning, the two form a special friendship. The New Girlfriend is the story of what happens as the two form a deep emotional bond splaying its emotional tentacles onto the gray zones of love and desire. After we get past the awkwardness of the distorted image of a sad faced man in stilettos bad makeup with large hands, the emotional power of love takes over. This difficult plot is viable based on the strength of the sensitive approach by the director, the scriptwriting and excellent actors.

Can love win no matter what guise or form it may take?

Director: François Ozon, Actors: Anais Demoustier, Romain Duris 

I asked director at 3:30 into the video what to anticpate when the film is screened in France because of the anti-gay marriage protests from the French public. Ozon responded that he is quite anxious and was shocked that people could protest against the rights of others and that The New Girlfriend is ultimately a film about freedom and attempts to show the complexity of desire.

PARIS, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 02: Anti-gay demonstrators take part in the protest march 'La Manif Pour Tous' (Protest For Everyone) on February 2, 2014 in Paris, France. More than 100,000 protesters in the streets of Paris to show their support for traditional family values and demonstrate against France's legalisation of same-sex marriage and other planned policies that would allow same sex couples to adopt or have children. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images) 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________-

Like the wittiest dinner guest imaginable, François Ozon tells tales that sizzle. Lust, longing, and broken taboos fill his scenarios, all relayed with precision and style. Last year's Jeune & jolie (Young & Beautiful) provoked both pleasure and censure with its story of a wilful teen prostitute. In The New Girlfriend Ozon does it again, but with increased empathy. Claire and Laura have been best friends since childhood; their lives intertwined. When Laura falls ill and dies, Claire reaches out to comfort Laura's husband, David. It's then that she discovers David's secret: he enjoys dressing as a woman. From that simple, saucy premise, Ozon takes The New Girlfriend down an ever surprising path. Having lost her best friend, Claire begins a new relationship with David, who prefers to be called Virginia when he dons a blonde wig and his late wife's chic dresses. Their first trip to the mall together is a delight; yet emotion runs deeper as Claire helps Virginia navigate the complications of his neighbours, his young child, and Claire's own curious husband. Playing a man who both desires women and is most comfortable in their traditional feminine armour, Romain Duris is outstanding. This is a delicious performance, as David luxuriates in the rituals of makeup and lingerie, and enjoys the sweet pain of waxing his lower back. Rising French star Anaïs Demoustier is a revelation as Claire, her face alive with both elation and confusion. Ozon relates the story of Virginia and Claire in a brisk, masterful fashion, bringing dashes of Douglas Sirk and George Cukor to a twenty-first-century narrative. Having explored the performance of femininity in films from 8 Femmes to Jeune & jolie, he elevates that investigation to a new level. This is a film attuned to the nuances of LGBTQ identities, but pursuing above all an affair of the heart.

Video and report by Laurie Gordon @TIFF 2014 for filmfestivals.com

thank you for watching