Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes (2000)

In the 70s Germany, a 50 year old businessman falls in love with a 20 year old boy.

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (play), François Ozon

Stars:

Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi, Ludivine Sagnier

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Bernard Giraudeau	...	Léopold
Malik Zidi	...	Franz
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Anna
Anna Levine	...	Véra (as Anna Thomson)

Storyline

Germany in the 1970s. Whilst waiting for his girlfriend, a young student, Franz, allows himself to be picked up by 50-year old businessman, Léopold. In his apartment, Léopold provokes Franz into revealing his homosexual experiences and soon manages to seduce him. Six months later, Frantz has moved in with Léopold and they appear to live as an ordinary married couple. The strain is beginning to show, however, and after a row Frantz threatens to leave. Whilst Léopold is away, Frantz is visited by his former girlfriend, Anna, and their romance is soon rekindled. Before the two lovers can escape, Léopold returns and his charms persuade Anna to stay. Léopold's ex-lover Vera then makes an unexpected appearance and the menagerie is complete...

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Plot Keywords:

businessman | love | homosexual | 1970s | first gay sexual experience | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French German

Release Date:

15 March 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

Gotas que caen sobre rocas calientes

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$10,617 (USA) (14 July 2000)

Gross:

$86,132 (USA) (20 October 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidélité Productions, Les Films Alain Sarde, Euro Space

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 82 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a play written by famous film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder when he was only 19.

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Soundtracks

"Tanze Samba mit mir"
Performed by Tony Holiday
(Daniele Pace (as T. Pac) / Franco Bracardi (as F. Bracardi) / Tony Holiday (as T. Holiday)), Gianni Boncompagni (uncredited) & Ann Reid (uncredited)
© Sugar Music France
Avec l'aimable autorisation de Sugar Music France
(P) Polydor Gmbh
Avec l'aimable autorisation de Universal Projets Spéciaux

User Reviews

French farce

This is absolutely vintage Francois Ozon fare. He really does take French farce to a whole new level of humiliation and pain for its victims. I can't help feeling though, that the audience is being asked to laugh at rather than sympathise with their dilemmas. (Just see the scene where the young boy dresses for his hot date in some kind of lederhosen. Don't tell me you weren't giggling). Underneath the kitsch seventies style and the black humour, however, this film has a serious topic: the very nature of desire. These are characters who will do anything in order to fulfill their desires, regardless of the destruction they cause to themselves, or in the case of Leopold, others. But what else is their for them in the suburbs of a non descript German town? capitalism may let you have sex without whoever you want, but it doesn't seem to give you the tools to know whether you really want to be having sex with that person in the first place. An intelligent, witty and thought provoking film.