X2000 ('Scenes de lit') is a pastiche of the short films made by Francois Ozon before and during the year 1998. The excellent collection offers tangible proof that Ozon's gifts were well established in short stories before he tackled the important films he has produced to date: 'Swimming Pool', 'Under the Sand', '8 Women', '5X2', 'Water Drops on Burning Rocks', etc. The man has vision, courage in tackling taboo subjects, and a style that remains his own.
'Truth or Dare' is a brief 4 minutes of play among four youngsters (two boys, two girls) who test the limits of fantasy and sexual exploration and the fun little game ends with a most touching 'dare'. 'Little Death' is the longest of the works (and the most engaging) and introduces Paul (Francois Delaive), a gay photographer whose images are those of men's faces during climax, and his lover Martial (Martial Jacques) whose lives are disrupted by Paul's sister Camille (Camille Japy) demanding that Paul visit his estranged, dying father (Michel Beaujard). Paul does so but takes his camera and photographs the nude, near comatose father in a sort of revenge that results in his ultimate resolution of his years of distance.
The next set of very brief clips is entitled 'Bedtime Stories' and is a wonderful glimpse into moments of truth between couples dealing with nascent sexuality, fetishes, May/September encounters, hygiene dilemmas equally spaced among straight, gay and lesbian themes. And the final brief film 'X2000' is merely a millennium dawn with a nude man awakening to the detritus of a New Year's party which includes an aging corpulent bedmate, some voyeurism watching a couple at sexual play and another couple (twin men) sleeping in a zipped bag. It is simple but resounds with messages about the expectations versus findings of a new millennium.
The 64-minute film stands well on its own, but for those who have become fans of Francois Ozon's brilliant full-length films, this little plate of hors d'oeuvres is irresistible. Highly recommended. Grady Harp
