Rating: 
Summary: For those with eclectic tastes... a great art house film
Review: Capsule review: An entertainingly dark sexual farce about the antics of a cranky businessman and his 19 year-old male lover when the boy's ex-girlfriend tries to rekindle the flame. Peculiar, charming Fassbinder work. If you like art house films, try this one. AKA 'Gouttes d'eau sur pierres brûlantes' Actors: Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi, Ludivine Sagnier. Directed by François Ozon. 1999 France Kodak Color 90 min. WS Dolby Digital 2.0 In Français+Deutsch. Subtitles: English. Drama/Period 1970s.
Rating: 
Summary: Ms Ludivine Sagnier steals the show
Review: First of all, let me point out that I'm not a fan of gay/lesbian cinema....But, with that said - this is an intreging character study of a middle aged man falling in LUST with a 19-20 year old man. As graphic as this COULD have been, it was handled with care. Its not exploitive in any way - so I can't imagine the public in an outrage - or REALLY shocked by some of the scenes with actors Giraudeu & Zidi.
As with MANY relationships, the 'spark' seems to disappear after a few months - and the two lovers are confronted with their differences. But when it becomes VERY interesting is when Zidi's fiance shows up, (EXTREAMLY well played by Ludivine Sagnier) - along with Giraudeu's X lover. Not much can be said without giving away too much - but all 4 are faced with their own depressing situation. The film tries to be lighthearted at times, but only succeds when the 4 characters are dancing to 'Dance The Samba With Me'. This is one of the greatest DANCE scenes I have ever saw on film - and the REASON I say that: Look at all 4 characters. Play the scene over & over watching ONE actor at a time. The personalities clash within the film, just as their dance techniques do. Giraudeau plays the MACHO uncompassionate one, Zidi plays the 'confused and just trying to fit IN' image, Sagnier plays the fun-loving-NOTHING to worry about flower child, while Giraudeau's X lover (played by Anna Levine) is the sultry sexy one, who tries to hold on to her youth - but falls short of doing so. This is a BRILLIANT scene ! Its too bad it only lasts a minute. I think if it was more kind-hearted, it would have been a fantastic movie...But it starts to get bogged down in self indulgence, and therefore seems to ruin the tempo of the film. ALL actors are excellent in it, but Ludivine Sagnier stands out above the rest. Her presence in the film is such a welcome sight - she could (and WILL) turn a few heads in a room. Throughout 75% of the film, her character is either nude or walking around in her underwear - which I'm sure is not easy to do in filmaking - but she pulls it off wonderfully. I certainly hope to see her in more films soon. She is a name to watch for.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating film from a very talented director.
Review: Francois Ozon is one of the new wave of French directors, who have made their mark by the sheer force fo their talent. And while his latest 8 Femmes, has taken France by storm, and has made his name on an European and International level, his earlier films show the signs of a great director.
I saw Water Drops yesterday, having no expectations at all..Just a movie on cable to kill my sunday afternoon, and i was pleasently surprised and captivated.
The story based on Fassbinder's play is typical of the late German director..gay themed, complex, full of tortured souls, and pessimistic. But Ozon gives the film a new life, with his brilliant camera work, and his obvious sympathy for the characters.
Although the ending leaves a lot to be desired, and prevents me from giving the film full marks, it is the wondeful actors that keeps you watching in fascination.
Giraudeau and Zidi give their best performances to date as the gay couple, with a complex relationship full of passion, quarrels and the need for fulfillment.
As for Ludivine Sagnier, not only she is very beautiful, but her acting is very good, as well as Anna Thomson aka Anna Levine, an underrated American actress that did some excellent indie and european films.
The dance scene is probably a bit weird , watching it in the context of the whole film, but it adds some humour to the Fassibinderesque bleak atmosphere.
The choice of music, I thought was very good as well. The German songs complement the film beautifully.
The film has some nudity, but it is not explicit in a voyeuristic sense. Like most French films, it comes naturally and very believable, as opposed to the somehow added scenes for the viewer's pleasure in most American films.
So Water Drops is an intense above average film for cinema lovers that should be appreciated for its acting, direction and even music.
Rating: 
Summary: 2 1/2 Stars. Satirically seductive but never quite delivers
Review: I just love to listen to people speaking French. This explains my attraction to French film: I'll give a French film alot of leeway to overcome its shortcomings. Which, of course, means I've seen an awful lot of bad French cinema. Such is the case with this movie. But, to be fair, this has some very attractive elements: a single setting (all the action is confined to an apartment in Berlin in the 1970's), very few characters (here, 2 characters, with 2 more showing up about halfway through) and lots of dialogue. In short, a character study. Only here, Ozon isn't out for a character study, more for a study, in black comedy, of sexual dynamics. Great premise. The film is set up like a play, shown in four acts. Act One is the seduction: 50-something bachelor and insurance salesman Leopold has brought home 19 year old Franz who is engaged to be married to Anna. It's staged as a slow seduction, and after much talk about past relationships, and a game of Go (or some similar game), Leopold makes his move. Act Two takes place 6 months later. The two are living together and Leopold has turned tyrannical and short-tempered; Franz is love-struck and dependant. There is wonderful tension in both Act One and Two, both humorous and a bit diabolical; it's great stuff. In Act Three we have the arrival of Anna, Franz's ex-fiancee, and then in Act Four, the arrival of Leopold's ex-girlfriend, a transexual. Things get a little complicated, to be sure, and Ozon really steps up the satire. I even laughed out loud a few times. However, the whole thing is very uneven and the story never really goes anywhere. What keeps you from abandoning it along the way is its great atmosphere (it does a great job of evoking the 70's) and the performances of the two lead actors, which are just serious enough and at the same time just campy enough to keep it interesting. When it was over, I couldn't believe I hadn't turned the damn thing off a good hour ago. But for all its shortcomings, I couldn't stop watching. Maybe it was just all that French :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Do NOT bother!
Review: Okay, I'm not usually this harsh with my movie reviews. I usually like to give some leeway to movies, especially if they're *really* trying to express some sort of artistic quality or something. But this one so truly falls short, it's remarkable how bad it is. Seriously, if "no stars" were an option, I'd be clicking on that one. The movie starts with Franz, 19, sitting around in Leopold's apartment, chatting, drinking, playing some games. Leopold is clearly a gentleman with some age on him. How Franz got to be it his situation is unclear. Franz also talks openly about his girlfriend, Ana, whom he intends to marry soon. Inexplicably, however, Franz spends the night and in the very next scene, we realize that Franz has moved in, and the two are now lovers. Franz then promptly assumes a submissive, meek housewife role, and in fact, for whatever reason, feels like he had to endure a slew of verbal abuse from Leopold. Can we say co-dependency? Ana shows up in the middle of this debacle, and the viewer is (or, at least, I am) led to believe that Franz will come to his senses. No such luck. Heck, they even have sex -- perhaps Franz can now realize what a screwed-up life he's living with Leopold now? Nope. Indeed, even the arrival of a former boyfriend of Leopold (who is now a woman) is not enough to snap Franz out of it. And this is also where all of a sudden, any tenuous connection that this movie might have had to reality is completely lost. One would suppose that, as Ana has somewhat rekindled whatever spark Franz once might have had for her, SHE would at least dislike Leopold enough to slap some sense into either of them. We should only be so lucky. All logic and reason (except MAYBE for Franz) suddenly flee with alarming alacrity at this point. People do things that make NO sense to me whatsoever, and I'm left scratching my head. Well, more than just scratching my head, but upset and confused at the very least. I mean, Ana LIKES the man who stole her boyfriend away from her and treats him like dirt? Ana is EXCITED by the prospect of dancing with Leopold and, indeed, wants to have sex with him? Come on! Don't bother to see this movie. It's truly not worth it. It's two hours you won't ever get back.
Rating:
Summary: Highly stylized, bizarre film
Review: This bizarre little French film is based on a play by Fassbinder. A 50-year-old gay man (Leopold) meets and seduces a 19-year-old straight man (Franz). They move in together and quickly end up in a rut and bickering like an old married couple. Franz improbably takes on the role of the nagging, passive-aggressive housewife, even dressing in leiderhosen at one point! Leopold begins to pull away and Franz fears that Leopold will leave him for another man. The situation is complicated when Franz's ex-fiancee reappears, tries to win him back, and ends up falling for Leopold instead. Add in an unexpected visit from Leopold's ex-lover who was a man but became a woman, and the stage is set. The tone of the film is very broad satire (although I'm not sure what it is satirizing). It's hard to take this film seriously, but the actors dig into their parts with such zeal that it's also hard to dislike it. However, I'm not sure what the point of the film was. Aside from a few chuckles, I didn't enjoy watching it. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Highly stylized, bizarre film
Review: This bizarre little French film is based on a play by Fassbinder. A 50-year-old gay man (Leopold) meets and seduces a 19-year-old straight man (Franz). They move in together and quickly end up in a rut and bickering like an old married couple. Franz improbably takes on the role of the nagging, passive-aggressive housewife, even dressing in leiderhosen at one point! Leopold begins to pull away and Franz fears that Leopold will leave him for another man. The situation is complicated when Franz's ex-fiancee reappears, tries to win him back, and ends up falling for Leopold instead. Add in an unexpected visit from Leopold's ex-lover who was a man but became a woman, and the stage is set. The tone of the film is very broad satire (although I'm not sure what it is satirizing). It's hard to take this film seriously, but the actors dig into their parts with such zeal that it's also hard to dislike it. However, I'm not sure what the point of the film was. Aside from a few chuckles, I didn't enjoy watching it. Not recommended.
Rating:
Summary: odd but good
Review: To concentrate on the unbelievable elements of the plot is to miss the point I think. I'm not sure what the point is, but it's a funny film, and the characters are certainly interesting. Ludivine Sagnier is superb as Anna, Franz's ex-girlfriend. You could do a lot worse, and you could do a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: odd but good
Review: To concentrate on the unbelievable elements of the plot is to miss the point I think. I'm not sure what the point is, but it's a funny film, and the characters are certainly interesting. Ludivine Sagnier is superb as Anna, Franz's ex-girlfriend. You could do a lot worse, and you could do a lot better.
Rating:
Summary: good
Review: very unique film. Boy has older male lover and his ex girlfriend tries to rekindle an old relationship with boy. Odd, but worth a watch. Great cast, unique story.
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