Little Ricky has his head in the clouds in new Ozon film
RICKY (François Ozon, 2009)
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December 16-29
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François Ozon, a daring director who regularly challenges his audiences – usually with thrilling results – has pulled it off again with the very strange but utterly captivating RICKY. Ozon has made sexy mysteries (SWIMMING POOL), moving melodramas (UNDER THE SAND, TIME TO LEAVE), a bedroom farce (WATER DROPS ON BURNING ROCKS), and even a star-studded, misguided musical (8 WOMEN), but he turns to an offbeat modern-day fairy tale with his latest, a favorite at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. Alexandra Lamy stars as Katie, a single mother who has an on-the-job bathroom quickie with Paco (Sergi Lopez) that results in a pregnancy. But when little Ricky (Arthur Peyret) is born, he soon proves to be a boy like no other, as he develops a – well, it’s better if you find out for yourself how he is different from everyone else. RICKY, based on the short story “Moth” by Rose Tremain, could have been a cheesy gimmick, but Ozon settles for making a charming film instead of a morality play. RICKY is a pure delight, even as it has its head in the clouds.