French Film Reviews: L’Amant Double, Directed by François Ozon

Ozon is back to his old tricks (and erotic stylings) in this frisky psychological thriller. And the wild card’s twisted romp has left many scratching their heads – and shuffling awkwardly in their seats.

Damsel-in-distress Chloé embarks on simultaneous affairs with her therapist, dependable but dull Paul, and his estranged sex-crazed twin brother Louis (both played by Jérémie Renier), also a psychoanalyst. Cue a startling close-up of the lead’s vagina; such explicit rumpy pumpy Fifty Shades of Grey’s S&M frolics pale in comparison; and trippy fantasy sequences.

By act 2, we’re already light-years from risqué. For all the raunch, Ozon deftly steers clear of smut and delivers a ballsy yet oddly haunting opus.