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Sitcom (film)

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Wikipedia article




'Sitcom' is a 1998 French surrealistic satire film written and directed by Franois 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 (Franois 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 (velyne 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 on her boyfriend (Stphane 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



* velyne Dandry (billed as Evelyne Dandry) as The mother / La mre

* Franois Marthouret as The father / Le pre

* Marina de Van as Sophie

* Adrien de Van as Nicolas

* Stphane Rideau as David

* Lucia Sanchez as Maria

* Jules-Emmanuel Eyoum Deido as Abdu

* Jean Douchet as Psychotherapist / Le psychothrapeute

* Sbastien Charles as Boy with the zucchinis / Le garon aux courgettes

* Vincent Vizioz as Guy with red hair / Le garon aux cheveux rouges

* Kiwani Cojo as Pierced guy / Le garon au piercing

* Gilles Frilay as Guy with mustache / L'homme moustachu

* Antoine Fischer as Gregory / Le petit garon

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 state, and the son, who subsequently realises his homosexuality and becomes an artist.

See also



* Queer Cinema


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