By Sara Darling
I left the screening of Ozon’s The Crime is Mine with sore cheeks from laughing, and the fabulous feeling of being female! It wasn’t as though the film was anti-men but it was classically comical and all the female characters were strong.
As a huge fan of Ozon – seemingly he can turn his director’s eye to all genres – 8 Women, Young & Beautiful and Swimming Pool being particular faves, this film was a comedy of errors.
Somehow he turns a #MeToo moment into a powerful plot with both actors- aspiring actress Madeleine Verdier (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) and her room-mate, budding lawyer Pauline Mauléon (Rebecca Marder) taking on the male-dominated Paris-society in the 1930s.
Along with a bombastic, sexist landlord and pretentious boyfriend who doesn’t dare marry beneath him, the girls outwit the rat race with their dedication to girl power which is enhanced with incredible Art Deco sets and fabulous gowns which add to the froth of the story.
The girls might be poor, but they are certainly inventive, and know how to use their talents, transforming from scatty to canny and when Madeleine is accused of carrying out a pervy Director’s murder, she realises it would be more beneficial to confess. However, the plot only deepens as the real killer, a faded silent film star named Odette Chaumette (Isabelle Huppert) sashays back to the spotlight.
I love the way the public reacts to Madeleine’s supposed crime and the courtroom drama that unfolds as it is an insight into the prejudice of the time. We see the two girls working as a slick double act – Madeline utilising and even overusing her acting skills to explain what happened, and Pauline defending it – appealing to sisterhood and solidarity, arguing against the ways men have exploited them and kept them at the edge of losing their home and good names.
Although they are in their element in the courtroom, the drama is far from over after the guilty verdict which transforms the formerly impoverished friends into the toast of Paris. Being classed as a murderer is far from being a negative impact as Madeleine soars to fame in a hit play and Pauline’s law career goes from strength to strength. Things seem to be on an uphill trajectory – until somebody claiming to be the real murderer shows up. Larger than life Odette Chaumette (Isabelle Huppert as spurned past-it actress) is the real villain. Having committed the murder, she now wants a slice of the fame and plots to get her revenge at any cost.
With characters that are cartoonish in their extremes, overall the film is a wholesome romp and a win for feminism! Highly recommended.
The Crime is Mine – in UK & Irish cinemas 18th October