THE NEW GIRLFRIEND

France, 2014, 108 minutes, Colour.
Romain Duris, Anais Demoustier, Raphael Personnaz. Isild Le Besco, Aurore Clement.
Directed by François Ozon.

Since the 1980s, French director, Froncois Ozon has been making provocative films, especially about sexual issues and sexual ambiguity.

In this film, also with an ambiguous title, it begins with friendship between two young girls at school, its blossoming, their marriages, and one of them dying in childbirth. The other girl and her husband are entrusted with the care of the dead woman’s daughter as well as of her husband.

One day, the carer goes to visit the husband and finds him, cross-dressed, taking care of the baby. While she is shocked, she accepts his cross-dressing, his telling her that there was no need for it while his wife was alive, and then her helping him, going shopping, choosing clothes, with the make up. She is not able to tell her own husband the truth, talking about her new girlfriend, but the husband finds out, is upset but puts it down to the fact that the man is gay.

The woman becomes more and more dependent, even imagining her husband and the father in a sexual episode. At the end, the man has taken its place as a woman in society, in a relationship with his friend, their being seen collecting the daughter from school.

Ozon presents the drama and leaves it to the actors to communicate their characters and issues and for the audience to respond, all in their own way.

1. The title, meanings and ambiguity?

2. The work of the director, his interest in themes of sexuality, gender, love, commitment?

3. A French story: the two girls as children, their friendship, sharing, growing up, the blood pledge, their eyes on boys, their marriages, the developments of their life, wives and husbands all being friends?

4. The French settings, town, home, shops? Musical score?

5. Laura, David’s love for her, giving birth, her death, the pathos at the funeral, the eulogy, walking to the grave, the effect of grief on Claire and on David?

6. Claire, the relationship with her husband, her life, Laura’s will and the care for David and the child, her memories of Laura? Going to David’s home, the shock of finding him, feeding the baby, wearing the female clothes, her reaction?

7. David, his life, the dress, the bottle, his explanations, the secrets, Laura permitting this? The love, cross-dressing, not while Laura was alive? His reverting?

8. Claire and her returning, looking the wardrobe, Laura’s clothes, the dress, helping David with the make up? Going to the shops, enjoying examining the clothes, the perfumes, their both being feminine?

9. David becoming Virginie? The effect on Claire, keeping the friendship, the new girlfriend, the secrecy, enjoying the company, relationship with her husband, saying that she was going to visit her mother, forgetting to phone him, his phone call, being found out?

10. Her husband, his reaction, the truth, his comments about the femininity of David and his attitudes and behaviour, the outings, the meals, discussions?

11. The tennis game, Clare and imagining the relationship between David and her husband, in the showers, nudity and sexuality? Her fantasies? The realisation that she needed Virginie as a friend, the explanations?

12. The years passing, Claire and Virginie, the two mothers, the care for the little girl, going to the school, picking her up, happy? Pregnant?

13. Issues of gender, orientation, behaviour, cross-dressing, becoming a character? Bonds between friends, sexual attraction? The long-term effects?