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Seemingly sour British mystery novelist Sarah Morton (the always exquisite Charlotte Rampling) relocates to sunny south of France to write the next instalment in her hugely popular Inspector Dowell series. Apparently, her older female fan base is clamouring for it -- "My mother loves you," a buzzed-about male writer confesses, to Sarah's horror.
An opportunity arises for Sarah after a distracted publisher (Charles Dance) offers up his beautiful house in Luberon as a place of inspiration, not to mention refuge.
It's Sarah's drudgery of a life -- wealthy and unmarried, she lives with her elderly father -- combined with the attractive publisher's promise to visit which sets the events in motion.
Upon her arrival in Luberon, Sarah is greeted by an elderly gardener and the promise of quiet and solitude in a gloriously beautiful location complete with swimming pool, which she initially has no interest in.
"A cesspool of bacteria," is how Sarah describes it.
The novelist, however, wastes no time getting settled, as she goes to the village grocery store to stock up on vats of yogurt and diet soft drinks -- frankly, Rampling's slim figure would look good in a potato sack -- and visits the local outdoor cafe complete with hunky waiter.
But it isn't long before Sarah's tidy routine -- she sets up her computer in a second floor bedroom with a terrace overlooking the pool -- is turned upside down by the unexpected arrival of her publisher's French daughter Julie (Sagnier), who teeters around in high heels and little else.
Young, blonde and tanned, the hedonistic Julie eats whatever she wants, smokes pot, drinks like a sailor and brings home a different man from the village every night to indulge in noisy, sometimes violent, sex.
Julie's the antithesis of the repressed and uptight Sarah, whose greatest pleasures appear to be devouring the occasional decadent dessert or enjoying a smoke.
Or so Ozon wants us to believe.
"(This) English bitch has a broom stuck up her butt," Julie complains to a friend over the phone.
But as the film progresses and the two women grow closer, the director throws many red herrings into the mix -- religious symbols and stereotypes among them -- to confuse the audience.
Then there's the big twist at the end.
It's a deeply layered murder-mystery that keeps you thinking about it in the hours, and even days, after you've seen it and the nicely nuanced performances -- not to mention displays of flesh -- by both Rampling and Sagnier deserve to be seen. The director's past experiences with Rampling on Under The Sand and Sagnier on 8 Women pay off big time here.
There's also a subtle sense of humour throughout the film, which never goes underappreciated.
In Canada we see the full uncut European version. In the United States, two minutes were cut from the film.
(This film is rated 18-A)