(Zeitgeist; July 12 in of recent origin York; nationwide in the fall) The maker: Francois Ozon director and writer The stars: Criminal: Natacha Regnier.

(Zeitgeist; July 12 in of recent origin York; nationwide in the fall)

The maker: Francois Ozon director and writer

The stars: Criminal: Natacha Regnier, Jeremie Renier, Miki Manojlovic; Water fires: Bernard Giraudeau, Malik Zidi

The pitch: Criminal Lover is a grim fairy tale: A straight married pair Regnier (The Dreamlife of Angels) and Renier, commit a massacre and head into the timbers where they fall prey to a menacing horse for the chase with sexual designs on the lad Water Drops, based on an early play on late gay filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder, is about a young observer (Zidi) who moves in with an older businessman (Giraudeau).

The reason we care: The publicly gay Ozon--who tosses together gay and straight sex violence, and shack meanings with abandon--is a director in succession the verge.

The inside scoop: Ozon's gay-inclusive 1998 first appearance feature, Sitcom, signaled the arrival of a filmmaker who could the two outrage and amuse, and Strand Releasing copresidont Marcus Hu predicts that the back-to-back arrival of the French director's nearest two features will consolidate his growing reputation. "Re could be the nearest Andre Techine, though he's a doom less conservative and really wild," says Hu "His sensibility is really dark, and he's got a turned to one side sense of humor that impacts a lot of people."

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