The New Girlfriend

A young woman dressed as a bride for her funeral opens this quirky tale of love and attraction from director François Ozon. Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) and Laura (Isild Le Besco) are childhood friends who did everything together. But when Laura dies young, Claire promises to look after her husband David (Romain Duris) and their daughter. But those caring feelings are abruptly challenged when she discovers David has a cross-dressing alter ego called Virginia. Of course, the relationship she then forges with this new "friend" has consequences for Claire's own marriage. Loosely based on a short story by Ruth Rendell, the tale could be judged fluffy and fun by some, or irritating and ridiculous by others - that Duris's heavy stubble is left untouched throughout is just another clanging note to this colourful, Almodóvar-like fantasy. But Ozon unashamedly sails straight into the incredible, with fantasies and twists to at least keep us guessing.