The New Girlfriend (film)

The New Girlfriend () is a 2014 French erotic drama film directed by François Ozon, based on the short story of the same name by Ruth Rendell. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September 2014.
Release.
"The New Girlfriend" premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival on 6 September. The film was later screened at the San Sebastián Film Festival on 20 September 2014, where it won the Sebastiane Award. The jury commented "(Ozon) calls into question the labels and roles of masculinity and femininity" and the jury "appreciates the contribution of this film to move towards a personal liberation, that could reaffirm the identity of every person". The film was also presented at the Zurich Film Festival on 2 October and the London Film Festival on 11 October. The film was released theatrically in France on 5 November 2014. The film will be released in the United States by Cohen Media Group on 18 September 2015.
Critical response.
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 80% based on 76 reviews, with an average score of 6.8 out of 10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 74 out of 100 from 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Writing for "The Hollywood Reporter", David Rooney expressed his compliments on "The New Girlfriend": "a delectable riff on transformation, desire and sexuality that blends the heightened reality of melodrama with mischievous humor and an understated strain of Hitchcockian suspense." At Variety, Justin Chang said "even as he (Ozon) heads down any number of tantalizing if borderline-nonsensical alleyways, Ozon maintains his diabolical wit, his infectious sense of play and his essential affection for his characters" and the film was "powered by beautifully controlled performances from Anaïs Demoustier and Romain Duris".