Water Drops On Burning Rocks

Highly stylised, cinematically housebound and deeply distressing as an insight into sexual games playing, Francois Ozon's adaptation of a theatre piece that Rainer Werner Fassbinder wrote at the age of 19 is tinged with cruelty.

An older man entices a naive 20-year-old youth to his spotlessly clean apartment, where, after drinks and talk of boarding school fumblings, he seduces him. Six months later, they are still together, except the boy has taken on the role of devoted servant and the man rebukes him constantly, as if the pleasure of undermining his lover's self confidence enhances his power over him.

Later, when the youth is at a suicidal level of depression, his ex-girlfriend turns up, whips off her top and leaps into bed. Rather than being left out, the older man turns on the charm and quite fancies a threesome, except, by this time, an ex of his, a transsexual, appears at the door, only too willing to join in the fun.

Absurdity leads to tragedy, which is absurd in itself. The film isn't saying anything other than beware vain men in stay-pressed slacks and neckerchiefs, who worry about whether they look their age. Also, obsessive tidyness indicates anal-retentive tendencies.