When one is accused of murder, the logical response is to plead innocence and hope that there is evidence that supports this claim, regardless of whether or not the crime was actually committed by the likely suspect. However, some would view a murder trial as being beneficial to their career, especially when it brings them a level of fame and popularity that they could never achieve through regular avenues. This is the starting point for The Crime Is Mine (French: Mon Crime), in which our beloved François Ozon once again proves himself to be a master of genre and tone, taking the play by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil and loosely adapting it into a film that not only instantly becomes one of the funniest films of the year, but proves to be yet another brilliant work of comedy in a career that has seen him craft some of the most exceptional entries into the genre. Once again, Ozon proves his incredible aptitude when it comes to constructing a memorable film that is drawn from a place of profound admiration for the history of cinema, while also going in his direction that showcases his remarkable skill at blurring genres together and creating a blisteringly funny comedy that has a certain degree of pathos that prevents it from being too overly didactic or absurd, keeping everything within logical boundaries while still making sure he has the space to explore certain themes. A wonderful breath of fresh air after over a decade of more sombre material, The Crime Is Mine proves that Ozon is still at the very peak of his skills and that even the most simple of premises can be reworked into a hilarious and heartfelt romp that makes good use of every available resource, something that Ozon has frequently shown as being the foundation of nearly every one of his films.

It has been a few years since Ozon has made a clear comedy (the last time one of his films was marketed as such as Potiche over a decade ago, but there are some that claim Summer of 85 and Peter Von Kant are comedic), but he proves that those skills have not softened over time and that he still possesses the kind of bizarre sense of humour that made so many of his films such delightful and fascinating experiences. For this film, he travels back to the 1930s, taking us to pre-war Paris and focusing on its residents as they navigate this peculiar time in their nation’s history. His sources of inspiration are primarily the likes of Sacha Guitry and Ernst Lubitsch, particularly in how this is a freewheeling, off-the-wall comedy about slightly darker subject matter, which is rendered unconventionally delightful through his unique vision of the story. It is certainly not a film that avoids being self-referential, and Ozon will often insert brief moments where it is clear that he is winking at the audience, implying that he is aware of how funny this particular moment is, which would be hubristic if it was nearly any other filmmaker, but the very nature of this story calls for such an approach, almost as if we are accompanying the director on this peculiar journey into the past. Humour is one of the many tools that Ozon has shown himself to be remarkably adept at utilizing in interesting ways, and while it is sometimes quite simple in how it approaches some of its ideas, he makes sure that he never misses an opportunity to showcase this irreverent sense of humour that he cherishes enough to use properly. With a premise this outrageous, there isn’t ever any need to work too hard to find the humour, and Ozon knows how to exercise just enough restrain that every scene is still very funny, but doesn’t lose that veneer of elegance, since The Crime Is Mine is as much about telling this hilarious story as it is capturing a very distinct image of Parisian society in the past, showing its peculiarities in vibrant detail.

The opposite of a whodunnit, or even the inverse that has sometimes been called the “whydunnit” (where the culprit is known, but not their motive), The Crime Is Mine does face a slightly uphill journey when it comes to establishing its plot, and as a result it can tend to meander towards the middle as it becomes slightly repetitive – there is a reason lengthy trial scenes are rarely found in the middle of films, since they tend to be quite intense and can heighten tensions at awkward moments – but yet Ozon navigates these issues with such incredible skill, we never doubt his ability to craft an unforgettable narrative with even the most paltry of ideas. As is the case with 8 Women, the closest film Ozon has made to The Crime Is Mine, he infuses every frame with a sense of theatricality, one that is certainly not driven by logic, but rather by the grandiosity and spectacle that comes with watching a larger-than-life production – and everything from the writing, which is filled to the brim with outrageous humour, to the actual design of the film (both the sets and costumes are some of the most striking of the year, and it would be difficult to find many films that contain a better use of period-specific details in terms of the visual appearance of the film), there is a sense of dedication in absolutely every frame, which makes the film a complete delight. It feels like we are watching an extravagant production put on by only the most talented people in their respective craft, and coupled with a narrative that could have very easily been the subject of a far more dramatic film, the overall experience is one filled with such incredible artistic insights, with Ozon standing at the helm and guiding the creation of this hilarious and irreverent story with all the exceptional skill that we have come to expect from someone who is truly a master of not only genre and storytelling, but his overall craft as a director, which has resulted in a long career of revolutionary and experimental works, many of which tend to draw on several previous works of art as their inspiration, while still taking these films in their direction.

The Crime Is Mine, like many of Ozon’s films, tends to depend on the cast employed to bring the story to life, since without the right actors in these parts, the film would begin to fall apart. He has a penchant for combining industry veterans with newcomers and bright young talents, creating ensembles that are eclectic but have exceptional chemistry. Looking at this film, it is difficult to find a standout since everyone is incredible – we have Nadia Tereszkiewicz and Rebecca Marder, who may be young have already made a substantial impression on the industry, as the film’s leads, a pair of young women trying to achieve the goal of having a comfortable future, which their penniless lifestyle doesn’t allow, and they are the heart of the film, both in terms of the narrative and the emotional content. We genuinely feel the affection between these characters, and they are at the forefront of the queer reading that we can assert in the film, which is essentially present in a lot of the director’s work. Marder in particular is incredible, her performance as someone who is deeply in love with her roommate, but who can clearly not say anything (but whose eyes speak more than words ever could) being the anchor of the story. The supporting cast is filled with iconic actors too, many of whom have previously worked with Ozon – Isabelle Huppert has never been funnier than she is here, and we can forgive the lacklustre work she has been doing for the past few years with this incredible performance that proves that she is still one of the greatest actors of her generation and someone who easily adapts to this kind of outrageous humour, often being the source of the film’s funniest moments. Fabrice Luchini and André Dussollier may seem like they are playing straight-laced, patrician bureaucrats, but even they have moments of hilarity that add to the overall experience of the film. The Crime Is Mine works only because the cast has incredible chemistry, and their performance is exceptionally compelling, each one of them finding humour in the most unconventional of places.

Ozon has been a director whose best work is difficult to pin down – he is quite prolific and consistently produces films in a wide range of genres, as well as telling different stories and working with a varied set of narrative and artistic tools that make every one of his films distinct and separate from one another, which has essentially prevented him from resting on his laurels. The Crime Is Mine doesn’t seem primed to be considered one of his best films, since it does objectively lack the necessary depth and complexity that defined some of his more acclaimed films. However, as a brief diversion away from darker subject matter, the film occupies a very specific niche for the director, who was seeking to pay tribute to writers and directors he adored, but in his way, and it is clear to see that his fondness for these iconic artists is a major factor in the film, since he does his best to honour their legacy without outright parroting their style, instead using them as his inspiration and interweaving their work with his unique vision, which makes this film quintessentially his own. The result of all of these details is a story about the most sordid and immoral individuals imaginable, produced in such a way that even the most despicable of characters are shown as being the epitome of elegance and grandeur, which makes for an inherently charming and outrageously funny experience that proves that Ozon still can create unforgettable stories through simply taking a straightforward idea, in this case, a well-liked stage play that had been adapted a couple of times previously, and forming it into a quaint and sophisticated affair, one that invites the viewer in and dares us to find the joy in the more perverse humour that dictates and guides the production. It is over-the-top and sometimes ridiculous, but this is all on purpose, and we find that Ozon is never hesitant to add layers of absurdity, since he knows that his control over the material is strong enough that he can make these abstract choices and still produce something extremely entertaining and undeniably compelling.