8 Femmes (2002)

Set sometime in the 1950s, on a cold winter morning, the only male (Dominique Lamure) in a household of women is found murdered with a knife in his back. It soon becomes clear that the murderer or in this case murderess is part of the extended family. The problem is that they all have motives. Directed by Francois Ozon, this dark comedy can best be described as Douglas Sirk meets Agatha Christie in an MGM musical. The cream of French actresses headline the movie and they include: Catherine Deneuve as the wife, Danielle Darrieux as the mother in law, Isabelle Huppert as the sister in law, Emmanuelle Beart as the maid, Fanny Ardant as the sister, Ludivine Sagnier and Virginie Ledoyen as the daughters and Firmine Richard as the cook. Ozon's homage to Douglas Sirk includes IMITATION OF LIFE and ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS and he has Deneuve done up like Lana Turner. All the actresses are given at least one musical number. His film is a love to letter to 50s Hollywood and its actresses but even if you're not familiar with Sirk or classic Hollywood, you can still enjoy Ozon's delirious cocktail. A jewel of a film.