François Ozon’s crime comedy “My Crime” has been released in Russian theaters, in which he returns to vaudeville—outrageous theatricality and exaggerated passions. We find out what actually lies beneath this deliberate naivety.

Murder, scandal, the main suspect—a woman. Just like in 8 Women, through a funny, witty, deliberately grotesque story, “My Crime” by François Ozon examines the position of women. Both in the 1930s (the original play was written by Parisian theater stars Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil in 1934), and in the 1950s (when 8 Women is set), and today, and, of course, both before and after, women have invariably tried to take revenge in a society that belongs to men. 

The contemporary agenda—a parallel with Hollywood and Harvey Weinstein—is evident throughout the film: harassment, bureaucracy, self-defense. At the same time, the serious theme of gender inequality goes hand in hand with comical situations—take, for instance, the courtroom farce, where prosecutors call women dangerous “by nature,” while the defense delivers lively speeches as if performing on stage. Thus, even the darkest episodes are presented with humor, and being able to laugh yourself and make the audience laugh at society’s problems is quite a challenge.

By hiding a reflection on social justice behind a procedural and a lively comedy with excellent jokes, Ozon seems to forget about the main mystery of “whodunit.” Only the first shots—a blonde, a building, a gunshot—which quote Hitchcock, resemble a detective thriller; further, the setup serves as a backdrop for the development of a quintessential boulevard escapism plot, adjusted for cancel culture.

However, this is not at all disconcerting. On the contrary, the comical, invariably striking appearances of the heroines, accompanied by amusing, drawn-out dialogues, make it easy to absorb the idea of female solidarity. And the false sense of a lightweight film, where eccentric facial expressions, bright Art Deco sets, expressive costumes, and hairstyles receive no less attention than the script, is skillfully dispelled by references to reality scattered throughout the film—a reality where women remain vulnerable to this day. 

Often, a film that playfully speaks “simply about complex things” is much harder to make than any big drama—if anyone knows that, it’s Ozon. The charm of the film “My Crime” lies in the fact that it has absorbed the best of entertainment cinema and comedic noir, without forgetting the important topics for discussion. That’s where the talent lies.