The New Girlfriend (French: Une nouvelle amie) is a 2014 French erotic drama film written and directed by François Ozon, based on the short story of the same name by Ruth Rendell. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2014.[3]
| The New Girlfriend | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Une nouvelle amie |
| Directed by | François Ozon |
| Screenplay by | François Ozon |
| Based on | The New Girlfriend by Ruth Rendell |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Pascal Marti |
| Edited by | Laure Gardette |
| Music by | Philippe Rombi |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by | Mars Distribution |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | €8.9 million[1] ($10 million) |
| Box office | $5.2 million[2] |
Cast
edit- Romain Duris as David/Virginia
- Anaïs Demoustier as Claire
- Raphaël Personnaz as Gilles
- Isild Le Besco as Laura
- Aurore Clément as Liz
- Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat as Robert
- Bruno Perard as Eva Carlton
- Claudine Chatel as nanny
- Anita Gillier as nurse
- Alex Fondja as caregiver
- Zita Hanrot as restaurant waitress
Release
editThe New Girlfriend premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September.[3] The film was later screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival on 20 September 2014, where it won the Sebastiane Award. The jury commented, "[Ozon] calls into question the labels and roles of masculinity and femininity" and the jury "appreciates the contribution of this film to move towards a personal liberation, that could reaffirm the identity of every person".[4] The film was also presented at the Zurich Film Festival on 2 October and the London Film Festival on 11 October.[5] It was released theatrically in France on 5 November 2014 by Mars Distribution and in the United States on 18 September 2015 by Cohen Media Group.[6]
Critical response
editReview aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 80% based on 84 reviews, with an average score of 6.8 out of 10. The website's critics consensus reads, "While flirting with camp, François Ozon's The New Girlfriend offers thoughtful – and humorous – commentary on sexual and gender identity."[7] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100 from 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[8]
Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney expressed his compliments on The New Girlfriend: "a delectable riff on transformation, desire and sexuality that blends the heightened reality of melodrama with mischievous humor and an understated strain of Hitchcockian suspense".[9] At Variety, Justin Chang said, "even as [Ozon] heads down any number of tantalizing if borderline-nonsensical alleyways, Ozon maintains his diabolical wit, his infectious sense of play and his essential affection for his characters" and the film was "powered by beautifully controlled performances from Anaïs Demoustier and Romain Duris".[10]
Soundtrack
edit| Une nouvelle amie | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
| Released | November 3, 2014 |
| Genre | Soundtrack |
| Length | 46:46 |
| Label | Cristal Records |
| Producer | Philippe Rombi |
The soundtrack of The New Girlfriend was released on November 3, 2014. The song "Hot n Cold" by Katy Perry is played in the film[11] but it is not available in the official soundtrack.[12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Enfance" | 3:08 |
| 2. | "Laura" | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Le Parfum de Laura" | 1:56 |
| 4. | "Rendez-Vous" | 1:10 |
| 5. | "Créancy" | 1:56 |
| 6. | "Promenade" | 2:26 |
| 7. | "Maquillage" | 2:05 |
| 8. | "Vêpres Solennelles Laudate Dominium K.339" (P.Coles, Kosice & Camerata Cassovia) | 4:56 |
| 9. | "Une femme avec toi" (Nicole Croisille) | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Follow Me" (Amanda Lear) | 3:48 |
| 11. | "Nuit à Créancy" | 3:07 |
| 12. | "La Vie sans Virginia" | 3:25 |
| 13. | "C'est David Maintenant" | 2:09 |
| 14. | "Lucie" | 1:59 |
| 15. | "Sortie d'Ecole" | 3:36 |
| 16. | "Générique Fin" | 2:09 |
| 17. | "Une femme avec toi" |
Accolades
edit| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40th César Awards | Best Actor | Romain Duris | Nominated |
| Best Costume Design | Pascaline Chavanne | Nominated | |
| 20th Lumières Awards | Best Actor | Romain Duris | Nominated |
| Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario | Best Adaptation | François Ozon | Won |
| San Sebastián Film Festival | Sebastiane Award | The New Girlfriend | Won |
| Apolo Awards[13][14] | Best Film | The New Girlfriend | Nominated |
| Best Director | François Ozon | Nominated | |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | François Ozon | Nominated | |
| Best Production Design | Michel Barthélémy, Pascal Leguellec and Nathalie Roubaud | Nominated | |
| Best Costuming | Pascaline Chavanne | Won | |
| Best Hair and Make-Up | Gill Robillard and Franck-Pascal Alquinet | Won | |
| Best Original Music | Philippe Rombi | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Romain Duris | Won | |
| Best Couple | Romain Duris and Anaïs Demoustier | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Une nouvelle amie". JP's Box-Office (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "The New Girlfriend (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Toronto film festival 2014 unveils first wave; Little Chaos to close". Screendaily. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ ""Une nouvelle amie / The New Girlfriend" Sebastiane 2014 award". San Sebastián Film Festival. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "The New Girlfriend". BFI London Film Festival. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "The New Girlfriend". Cohen Media Group. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Une nouvelle amie (The New Girlfriend) (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "The New Girlfriend Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Rooney, David (10 September 2014). "'The New Girlfriend' ('Une Nouvelle amie'): Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ Chang, Justin (10 September 2014). "Toronto Film Review: 'The New Girlfriend'". Variety.
- ^ ""The New Girlfriend" song credits". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
- ^ ""The New Girlfriend" soundtrack". Soundtrack.Net. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
- ^ "Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: ganadores de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB". dosmanzanas (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2022.
- ^ "Las mejores películas de temática LGTB del 2015: nominaciones de los I Premios Apolo de cine LGTB". dosmanzanas (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2022.