''Sitcom'' is a 1998 French
surrealistic satire film written and directed by
François Ozon. The story documents the moral decline of a once esteemed suburban family, whose descent into degeneracy begins with the purchase of a small white rat.
The film's name is a direct reference to American
sitcoms, which are noted for their focus on traditional family values and whimsical humour.
Plot
The patriarch (François Marthouret) of a seemingly normal nuclear family returns home one day with a small white rat. The animal soon has an adverse effect on his wife (Évelyne Dandry) and children, influencing them into enacting their darkest, most hidden desires.
The son, Nicolas (Adrien de Van) loudly announces his
homosexuality and begins throwing wild orgies, the daughter Sophie, (Marina de Van) deliberately flirts with death and practices
sadomasochism
Sadomasochism ( ) is the giving and receiving of pleasure from acts involving the receipt or infliction of pain or humiliation. Practitioners of sadomasochism may seek sexual pleasure from their acts. While the terms sadist and masochist refer ...
on her boyfriend (Stéphane Rideau), while the mother seduces her son so she can "cure" him of his orientation. After the father eventually kills and devours the offending rat, he turns into one himself; when his family discover this, they band together and brutally slay him.
Cast
*
Évelyne Dandry
Evelyn may refer to:
Places
* Evelyn, London
* Evelyn Gardens, a garden square in London
* Evelyn, Ontario, Canada
* Evelyn, Michigan, United States
* Evelyn, Texas, United States
* Evelyn, Wirt County, West Virginia, United States
* Evelyn ...
(billed as Evelyne Dandry) as The mother / La mère
*
François Marthouret
François Marthouret (born 12 September 1943) is a French actor.
Selected filmography
Theater
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marthouret, Francois
1943 births
Living people
Male actors from Paris
French male film actors ...
as The father / Le père
*
Marina de Van as Sophie
*
Adrien de Van as Nicolas
*
Stéphane Rideau
Stéphane Rideau (born 25 July 1976) is a French actor. Although intending to pursue a career in sports, he was discovered in 1992 at a rugby game and then auditioned for a role in the film ''Les Roseaux sauvages'' (''Wild Reeds'') by André Téc ...
as David
*
Lucia Sanchez
LucÃa Sánchez (1969) is a Spanish-born French actress. She started her acting career in 1996 with '' Une robe d'été'' ''(A Summer Dress)'' directed by François Ozon.
She starred in ' directed by Yves Caumon with Bernard Blancan, ' directed ...
as Maria
*
Jules-Emmanuel Eyoum Deido as Abdu
*
Jean Douchet as Psychotherapist / Le psychothérapeute
*
Sébastien Charles as Boy with the zucchinis / Le garçon aux courgettes
*
Vincent Vizioz
Vincent ( la, Vincentius) is a male given name derived from the Roman name Vincentius, which is derived from the Latin word (''to conquer'').
People with the given name Artists
* Vincent Apap (1909–2003), Maltese sculptor
* Vincent van Gog ...
as Guy with red hair / Le garçon aux cheveux rouges
*
Kiwani Cojo as Pierced guy / Le garçon au piercing
*
Gilles Frilay as Guy with mustache / L'homme moustachu
*
Antoine Fischer as Gregory / Le petit garçon
Possible influences
* In
John Schlesinger's notorious film ''
Midnight Cowboy'', a mother and her son's deeply concealed sexual frustrations surface after she produces a small, white rubber mouse.
* Another inspiration could be
Pier Paolo Pasolini's novel, and eventual film, ''
Teorema'', which depicts the arrival of a mysterious, unnamed stranger in the home of an
upper-class Italian family. He systematically seduces every single member of the dysfunctional household, including the mother, who becomes
nymphomaniac as a result, the father, the daughter, whom he leaves in a
catatonic
Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...
state, and the son, who subsequently realises his homosexuality and becomes an
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...
.
See also
*
Queer Cinema
External links
*
1998 films
French black comedy films
French LGBT-related films
Films directed by François Ozon
LGBT-related black comedy films
Incest in film
1990s French films
{{1990s-France-film-stub