DVD Review: François Ozon’s ‘Ricky’ Flies High on Charm

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CHICAGO – The dreamy and lyrical often forges a duet with the brooding and ominous in the work of French auteur François Ozon, perhaps best known to American audiences for his 2003 mystery “Swimming Pool,” misleadingly billed as a Hitchcockian thriller. It was, in fact, a psychosexual drama about one uptight author’s self-actualization, and the mysterious young woman who sets it into motion.

This woman may or may not be the author’s younger, more liberated alter ego, though Ozon wisely blurs the lines of his puzzle pieces, opting for abstractness over exposition. His 2009 effort, “Ricky,” is much more of a straightforward fantasy, yet Ozon utilizes its playful imagery to paint a touching portrait of the perils and joys of parenthood. Released under the radar in America, this film is sure to delight unsuspecting audiences with its numerous beguiling plot twists.

DVD Rating: 4.0/5.0

For about its first 40 minutes, Ozon leads viewers to believe that they’re in store for an entirely different picture. Philippe Rombi’s score is perpetually in a minor key, evoking Bernard Herrmann’s passages of music in “Psycho” that stealthily hinted at future nightmares. In the role of young Lisa, Mélusine Mayance has the sort of dark, eerily inquisitive eyes that unspeakable thoughts could easily be projected upon. Lisa is the daughter of weary factory worker Katie (Alexandra Lamy), a single mom whose soul has slowly been crushed by the gears of thankless labor. In the film’s opening moments, Lisa takes on the role of a responsible adult—dragging her mom out of bed, preparing breakfast and asking Katie why she doesn’t intend on going to work. Of course, it’s easy to understand Katie’s listlessness after witnessing her daily drudgery on the assembly line. One day, her bored eyes become infatuated with the fresh face of Paco (Sergi López), a new addition to the factory. It’s only a matter of time before Paco starts staying over at Katie’s apartment, much to the chagrin of Lisa. There’s a striking moment when Lisa angrily throws her beloved baby doll against a wall, as if she’s already harboring feelings of jealousy toward her future sibling. Sure enough, Katie gives birth to a bouncing baby boy (which Lisa names “Ricky”), though she seems strangely ill-prepared for the demands of motherhood.

Arthur Peyret stars in François Ozon’s Ricky.
Photo credit: IFC Films

After enduring many sleepless nights in the absence of her increasingly distant lover, Katie begins to suspect that Paco may be harming Ricky. She discovers that her toddler’s back is marked by what appear to be large bruises. And that’s about as far into the specifics as I’ll dare to tread, since even the film’s cleverly edited trailer (included on this disc) conceals the sizable plot development that occurs in the film’s second act. Let’s just say that fans of Darren Aronofsky may be struck by how similar some of Ozon’s visual concepts are to those seen in “Black Swan.” After a foreboding buildup, the film delves into unbridled magical realism, and the transition is surprisingly seamless. Ricky proves to be more of a handful than his parents might have thought, as he suddenly sports some rather extraordinary abilities. There are some payoff sight gags concocted by Ozon’s peerless effects team that manage to be both anxiety-inducing and laugh-out-loud funny.

Ricky was released on DVD on April 12, 2011. Photo credit: IFC Films

As Katie and Paco delude themselves into thinking that everything will soon return to normal, Lisa ends up functioning as Ricky’s primary caregiver. Despite her child’s baffling physical changes, Katie sports immature stubbornness by refusing to let doctors examine him. She accuses them of treating Ricky like a science experiment, though she makes a telling Freudian slip by referring to his crib as a “cage.”

While watching the film, I kept being reminded of conversations I’ve had over the years with parents of children with various physical and mental disabilities. Many of them recounted how the first year of their child’s life proved to be the most challenging. I’ll never forget the mother who told me how her son’s exuberant appreciation for life’s simple pleasures allowed her to re-experience life through him. I saw that mother’s exhilaration reflected in Lamy’s richly moving performance, as her character gradually undergoes a similar reawakening of the soul. Though a climactic encounter threatens to catapult the film into cheesy melodrama, Lamy sells the moment, as does a denouement set to the heartrending tune of Cat Power’s “The Greatest.” With its droll humor, fine acting, and inspired flights of fancy, “Ricky” is guaranteed to delight parents of all ages.
 
“Ricky” looks quite lovely in its 1.85:1 aspect ratio, though an interview with Ozon or a visual effects breakdown would’ve been a welcome addition for film buffs.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com [email protected]