Review: Water Drops on Burning Rocks (Ozon, 2000)
April 19th 2010 01:29
Water Drops on Burning Rocks (Ozon, 2000)
Written April 18, 2010
Francois Ozon’s Water Drops on Burning Rocks is based upon an unpublished play, written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder when he was 19 years old. Ozon apparently took some liberties with the play but the extent of which is not known to this reviewer. Regardless, the premise is clearly the same and therefore, Fassbinder put forth a deeply satirical, darkly comical and overall disturbing view of the struggle of power and manipulation amongst lovers.
The film is portrayed in theatrical structure, consisting of four acts, only 4 principle characters, and one set piece: an apartment. This approach is certainly an exercise in minimalism yet Ozon does so much with his set piece. From the colors and rugs to the framing of characters bodies around windows, mirrors, and furniture, Ozon has created a well-rounded world in this tiny apartment. Moreover, unlike other adaptations from play to screen, the film never once feels stagey or forced. The plot is rather unimportant; this film is about human interaction and why certain choices are made. It’s about lust, need, love, hate, anger and cruelty.
The film centers around Leopold, a 50 year old businessman, and Franz, a 20 year old who goes home with Leopold one night even though he plans on marrying his girlfriend, Anna. One night turns into an explosive relationship. The content of the film is carried out, at times, in a darkly comedic way. In one surreal and incredibly memorable scene, the characters begin to dance with vigor to a Mexican samba even though the setting at the time is tense and hostile. The fourth act centers around shallowness, the power of seduction and the hold another person can have over you. When a tragedy finally occurs, it is greeted by indifference by nearly all. A telephone call that should have been melodramatic and gut-wrenching is instead casual and cold. Fassbinder was indeed engaging in a social commentary and severe satire of human behavior and reactions.
In the end, there are no explanations for the events portrayed, or the decisions the characters made. There is no reconciliation among some of Leopold’s earlier confessions to Franz regarding his guilt over possibly contributing to a costumer’s suicide yet his lack of concern or emotion when a tragedy occurs in his own home.
In life, it is very often not known why people behave the way they do; what they’re trying to achieve, how the complexity of their minds and personalities work. As such, Water Drops on Burning Rocks does not wrap up motive and human reaction in a nice, tidy package for the benefit of the viewer. Instead, we are left to ponder the events that have unfolded and wonder if they could have been avoided and what course of action these lives will now take. Water Drops on Burning Rocks is an intriguing technically sparse tale, with characters deep and rich in complexity, engaging performances, and brilliant pacing.
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Comment by Catherine Stebbins
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