Berlinale. "Ricky"

By David Hudson on 02/06/2009

The best way to approach "Ricky" [site], François Ozon's wonderful little fable inspired by Rose Tremain's short story "Moth," is the way indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez did: walk in knowing nothing. I doubt the central conceit will remain under wraps for long - in his review for Variety, for example, Boyd van Hoeij simply assumes it might not be a surprise. Which is fine. It was for me, though, and I do think my ignorance allowed me to appreciate the dread-inducing moments in the first act: What is wrong with this baby? What's it going to do to this family?

To back up, Ozon mentions in an interview that Tremain's story reminded him of the Dardenne brothers's "Rosetta," and while he does not go all Dardenne on us, there are associative traces in his emphasis on establishing as realistically as possible the gritty milieu of the single mother played with impressive emotional veracity by Alexandra Lamy, the abandon-all-hope blandness of the concrete apartment complex where she and her daughter, Lisa (Melusine Mayance), are holed up and the monotony of her job at a plastic bottle factory. We must believe in the reality of this compact world in order to appreciate the audacity, absurdity, and yes, beauty of the minor miracle heading their way.

Updated through 2/9.

At the factory, Katie (Lamy) meets Paco (Sergi Lopez). Their affair is fast and furious, and soon enough, he's moved in. And Katie's pregnant. Lisa chooses the name: Ricky. At this point, there are still many directions in which this story could go. Lisa shows all the usual signs of the interior storms children weather when a parent brings in a lover, storms whipped into a frenzy (yet still internalized) when her status as the only child is about to be obliterated. When Ricky's born, he's exceedingly demanding; Paco misses sharing the bed with Katie alone. So while the audience toys with the idea that this may turn into a film about jealousy or revenge, about the havoc a newborn can wreak, Ozon pops his whammy. It's not that those currents aren't rumbling around, but they go underground to make way for an exploration of the strange mix of wonder and anxiety with which we greet the inexplicable when it is made inarguably manifest, blood-stains and all. And about the power of maternal instinct. And about a slew of other things as well.

Quite a lot's packed into this simple story, but Boyd predicts most audiences "will simply shrug their shoulders." He's not wrong. That's the reaction many of my friends have had. That, to me, is the inexplicable of this evening at the Berlinale.

Update, 2/7: Brian Brooks's report on the film's reception in Berlin comes prefaces with an editor's note: "This article reveals a surprising plot element of François Ozon's new film." More from Lee Marshall (Screen), Neil Young (Hollywood Reporter) and Film-Zeit gathers reviews in the German papers.

Update, 2/9: "When he's not being overtly audacious ('Sitcom,' '8 Women'), Ozon can be a remarkably sensitive and gifted storyteller, and whether dealing with a crumbling relationship ('5x2') or the final months of a cancer patient ('Time to Leave'), his forays into serious drama are rich character studies that steer clear of schmaltzy melodrama," writes Andrew Grant at GreenCine Daily. "'Ricky' is a surprisingly moving parable on the concept of family in an age where its very definition has become a political construct rather than a social one."

Tags: Alexandra Lamy, Berlinale 2009, François Ozon, Ricky