Movie Review: Dans La Maison (In the House) [2012]

"Most original and imaginary film of the year with easy to follow but complex story"

Directed by: Francois Ozon

Dans La Maison (aka In the House) is a film that will definitely test your imagination and ability to follow the movie because it is very hard to draw line between reality and imaginary story.

Claude Garcia is a sixteen-year-old student of 8th grade who gets an assignment in French literature - essay: how I spend weekends. Claude tells a story how he managed to get in the house of his dreams - a house of classmate named Rapha, by suggesting him a help with math. Teacher, Mr. Germain, gives him a grade of 4 and puts the writing away. However, next day comes a new story, which sounds more weird, as long as Garcia describes his feelings towards Rapha's mother, how he observed their house long before that time and how he planned becoming a member of Artole's family. Mr. Germain decides that everything in Garcia's writings is just an outcome of his fantasy and assumes that he has a brilliant chance to become a good writer. Therefore intends to help him in improvement of skills and building story line up. Claude does his job better and better, day by day. He becomes so much perfect that every single word reads like a reality and one day professor starts to seek evidence to find out whether those stories are real or not. Results of findings are shocking - Garcia's records are nothing but truth - he chronologically tells about friend's family.

Claude is a nice guy with complex past. Mother abandoned him and his injured father long time ago. For his reason he desperately seeks for family relations and love. Everything he had to get from his own family, he finds in Artole's house: normal father-and-son relations, warmth and happiness. But is there anything more he would love to get from them? He delivers all the answers in essays...

Mr. Germain is a teacher facing a moral dilemma. He knows that what a student does is not proper, in other circumstances he would not have liked it, but Claude Garcia is so awesome that he does not want to go against it. Here is a choice: report on young boy's behavior or just help him with story. The more he helps the more he understands that he's trapped and can't step back.

Professor's decision affects on every person's life involved, including himself. Without giving a spoiler I'll tell you that the ending will definitely blow your mind and it can be the most unpredictable finish you could imagine.

I had best emotional experience watching Dans La Maison, I just loved it and could not control myself. Generally, I'm not for this type of films. However, Mr. Ozon did a superb directing job. As for the screenplay, it is very smart, original and catchy. Characters are unique and well played.

Only problem with this movie is that you can't watch it twice or more. There is not a point of watching if you the finish and how the plot develops. I, generally, go for my favorite films more than once but not this time.

9/10