French Twist (film)
| French Twist | |
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| Directed by | Josiane Balasko |
| Produced by | Pierre Grunstein Claude Berri |
| Written by | Josiane Balasko Patrick Aubrée Telsche Boorman |
| Starring |
Victoria Abril Josiane Balasko Alain Chabat |
| Music by | Manuel Malou |
| Cinematography | Gérard de Battista |
| Edited by | Claudine Merlin Kako Kelber (co-editor) |
| Distributed by | AMLF (France) Miramax Zoë (USA) |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $75.2 million |
French Twist (French: Gazon maudit) is a cult 1995 French comedy film. It was written and directed by Josiane Balasko. The film was one of very few French films to have a dubbed version for English audiences. Its title in French is untranslatable but 'Cursed Lawn' is a close approximation. It also refers to the shaving (or not) of pubic hair, a subtle joke in French alluding to the subject matter of the film. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 68th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Laurent (Alain Chabat) and Loli (Victoria Abril) are a thirty-ish married couple living in southern France with their young children. He is an estate agent; she is a housewife. Laurent has extramarital affairs.
Loli is unaware that her husband is unfaithful. Then one day, a campervan breaks down in front of their house. The driver is Marijo (Josiane Balasko), a 40s-ish butch lesbian who works as a DJ. She asks to use their phone. Loli has a blocked sink, so in exchange for using the phone, Marijo gets Loli's drain back in working order. Loli and Marijo begin an affair. Laurent is upset, but then his friend Antoine (Ticky Holgado) accidentally reveals Laurent's philandering to Loli. This seems to justify her romance. Marijo moves into the house.
Antoine then suggests that Laurent let Loli have her way, cease all hostility, and wait for the affair to burn out. Laurent agrees, and the household becomes a seemingly idyllic ménage à trois. But his strategy has its effect, especially after another lesbian couple, old friends of Marijo, happen by. Laurent welcomes them, but Loli becomes annoyed and jealous.
Marijo decides that the situation is not really going to work. She knows that Laurent wants her to leave. While Loli is away on a trip, Marijo makes a deal with Laurent. She will break up with Loli and leave immediately, if Laurent will give her something she has wanted for years: a baby. Laurent has sex with Marijo to get her pregnant, and Marijo departs before Loli returns. Laurent tells Loli nothing, as agreed with Marijo.
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