Touches You

So much average

In truth, any opportunity to see the film on the big screen is welcome.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

for its high simplicity. and for the special story. because , in 15 minutes, a long confession about youth, meetings, summer, significance of a beach day , importance of a summer dress are presented. in Ozon manner, off course. but the film seems be complete, each detail solid and clear and pure, the dialogues - as frame of events. a film about youth, joy and coming out. its seductive eroticism. its chaste love scenes. its profound, delicate and subtle message about the importance of small, ordinary things. a young man on a bike to beach. and the revelation of the return. an incident. and a gift. all in precise manner presented by a director who, with a not comfortable humor, gives new senses to well known facts.it is not fair to define it as a gay movie. maybe, only, as inspired portrait of discoveries of a special age.

Subtle, delicate ,touching.A young man in a summer dress on a bike like incarnation of perfect joy. History of a coming -out and anatomy of relationship.Soft ambiguous gestures, slices of desire and a day like space of innocent miracle expression.Two men, a girl, a afternoon on beach, some words and a gift. Religious traces and a pantheist vision. Cercle of light and expression, nooks of an ordinary day and hot evening.A erotic chaste film in which the gay identity or the first sexual relation are only instruments for good definition of a universe with sensitives values.Pledge for self- discover, universe of beauty exploration, the sign of Ozon and same nostalgic air of every creation, "Robe d'ete" is a splendid occasion to understand the moment like projection of dream, to look, with emotion and child soul the essence of the essence beyond the images or people.

Yet another film that tries to be edgy but only reinforces the whole "heterosexuality is more normal and desirable than being gay." I love the films that are "gay-themed" but seem to always have to include scenes of gay guys having sex with women. This seems to be a European thing, the whole "we are so much more liberated." Feh.The main character is not a particularly likable kid, his annoyance at the beginning with his friend's singing and dancing seems extremely out of proportion. Most guys would be very, very happy to have a man as gorgeous as Sebastien Charles dancing in front of them. But of course this is only so we can get him to go to the beach and have his little fling. The gay side of the film is stereotyped with shallowness and unhappiness. The straight fling results in a sappy score and Summer of '42 like musings. (And to those who find this film "romantic" ... what's so romantic about running off and having sex with somebody you've just met? Does their being straight make it that much more romantic?)This is not a great short. It's backwards and somewhere along the self-loathing of Tennessee Williams. Throw it on the trash heap.

There's not a dull moment in Francois Ozon's "Robe d'Ete". It's surprising how much is packed into this short film. While reclining on a deserted beach after a nude swim, a young gay is approached by a girl seeking a light for her cigarette. She invites him to make love in a wooded area near the beach. On returning to the beach. they find that all his clothes have been stolen. She lends him a summer dress to cover his nakedness and requests he return it next day. He rides his bike back to the holiday cabin dressed as a girl. His gay companion is sexually excited. Early next morning the young man returns to the sea and bids farewell to the girl whose holiday has ended. She suggests he keep the dress as a memento of their summer romance. It's a light-hearted film that captures the spirit of summer holidays by the sea, but perhaps not for those who are embarrassed by nudity or homosexual themes.