See the Sea

Let me make this perfectly clear about Francois Ozon's nasty little suspenser: he has no interest, whatsoever, in putting a happy smile on the viewer's face. Weighing in at a mere 52 minutes, See the Sea, a steadily escalating nail biter with a gut-punch finish, has the feel of a vulgarly realistic episode of Twilight Zone. Sasha (Sasha Hails), a vacationing British mother staying with her baby at a seaside cottage on the French island of Yeu, grows frustrated waiting for her late arriving husband, and--when confronted by a free-spirited backpacker who essentially demands camping rights on her yard--not only capitulates but invites the ominously dead-eyed Tatiana (Marina de Van) inside. While any reasonably savvy person would have figured out pretty quickly that Tatiana (whose monotone admission "I hate group tours" told me all I needed to know) has interpersonal problems, Sasha is sexually aroused by Tatiana's presence, but oblivious to her menace. See the Sea is a reasonably smartly crafted chiller, admirable in conception, but not necessarily something you'll enjoy having watched. A 15-minute short, A Summer Dress, a light-hearted bi-sexual trifle, precedes the film. Recommended, with reservations. [DVD Review--Feb. 11, 2003--Zeitgeist, 52 min., in English and French w/English subtitles, not rated, $24.99. With Ozon coming off his most successful film to date--8 Women--there may be renewed interest in this disturbing little shocker. Unfortunately, the DVD transfer made from a scratchy print is very disappointing (I seem to remember the VHS copy looking much better than this) and the subtitles are placed so low that they often drop off the screen. Extras include Ozon's short film trifle "A Summer Dress," and a brief text interview with Sasha Hails. Bottom line: Here's the trade-off--the DVD looks worse than the VHS (re-priced to $29.95 VHS version from New Yorker Films), but the DVD is widescreen while the VHS version is pan and scan. It's a toss-up.] (R. Pitman)