In the House (2012) rewind review – a teenager builds a prison of words for a teacher who believes he is the boy’s intellectual superior

In the House ‘Dans la maison’ (2012) rewind review. Ozon creates a devilishly enticing yet uncomfortable atmosphere as a manipulative teenager builds a prison of words for a teacher who mistakenly believes he is the boy’s intellectual superior.

François Ozon is a master of observation and a cinematic surgeon of human emotions, desires and thoughts. Based on The Boy in the Back Row by Spanish playwright Juan Mayorga, Ozon’s wickedly entertaining story of power, passion, and teenage imagination centres on storytelling and the misguided belief that age brings wisdom. But it’s also a witty cat-and-mouse game of obsession and intellect that enthrals and blurs the lines between fiction and reality.

English literature teacher Germain (Fabrice Luchini) believes he may have found a unique new talent in fifteen-year-old Claude (Ernst Umhauer); after all, one of the boy’s short assignments offers a fascinating glimpse into the private life of his best friend’s family. But there is also something disturbing and uncomfortable in the pages: a sense of voyeurism, manipulation and sexual control.

Germain shares the text with his wife (Kristin Scott Thomas), who agrees that there is enormous potential but also a troubling air to the boy’s work. The problem is that Germain is transfixed not only by the words on the page and the boy who writes them, but also by the story of a family that has no idea it is being observed. Here, Ozon delights in exploring the boundaries between fact and fiction as Germain becomes a part of Claude’s creative game, which he controls from the moment Germain shows interest in his writing.

Ozon creates a devilishly enticing yet uncomfortable atmosphere as a manipulative teenager builds a prison of words for a teacher who mistakenly believes he is the boy’s intellectual superior. But it is within François Ozon’s discussions on creative obsession and the drive for success that In the House is most fascinating as we watch one man, who gave up his literary dreams long ago, attempt to live those dreams out through a boy he finds alluring, intoxicating and dangerous; a boy who rejects the boundaries between art and experience in weaving a toxic yet compelling literary web.

In the House ‘Dans la maison’ (2012) is now available to rent or buy on selected platforms.