This is a film that is a farce where one may think it is going to grow into the dark comedy mode, but surprisingly, keeps finding its funny side and maintains its wittiness and its sarcastic brand of humor. Director Francois Ozon brings his audience into a world of crime scenarios in a historic era. The situation is slightly confusing, but all the moving parts are what makes it joyful. The Crime is Mine dives into moments of sanity and does not stop in its tracks. It lays its foundation of egotistical minds in the scenario of a serious crime where there is no clear answer.

The Crime is Mine takes place in Paris, France, and the year is 1935. Its character focus is on an actress, Madeleine Verdier (played by Nadia Tereskiewicz). She is accused of murdering a famous French producer. Her lawyer is also her roommate, Pauline Mauleon (played by Rebecca Marder). The judge is Gustave Rabusset (played by Fabrice Luchini) and his assistant is Leon Trapu (played by Olivier Broche). Gustave is a judge that lacks seriousness and does not look at the full picture. His assistant Leon is not very focused either. The lack of gravity is where The Crime is Mine finds its laughter more in its characters than the crime itself. Madeleine claims she is innocent; however, she believes that lying with honesty may benefit her. There is another actress, and she is Odette Chaumette (played by Isabelle Huppert). She claims she is part of the murder of the producer as well. It is clear though, that she is doing this for some type of advantage. The ratio of lies and half-truths is the clever mind game in The Crime is Mine.

This is a film where the murder case is a satire with laughs. It deals with the dynamic of a case where the minds are not so bright. The stupidity of The Crime is Mine puts its audience in an invigorating bind. It hosts a range of strange personalities trying to fulfill underlying issues. The dialogue and the writing are funny. Sadly though, the film frequently tends to bore.

To clarify, its boredom lies in the level of redundancy that flows throughout the premise of the film itself. I love how most of Ozon’s films have hidden secrets. An example would be his 2003 film Swimming Pool, which contained hidden moments that took me by surprise. I was expecting The Crime is Mine to have the same or similar idea with a broader range of creativity and a comedic side added to it. It does not though, as it just resorts to quirky conversations and thought-out scenarios for the crime of the film. Rather than solving the situation, it just goes down a rabbit hole of a misconstrued context. It comes close, but does not succeed in being clever.

Why are many characters coming over Madeleine? Why is the judge being ridiculous? Why is the film dwelling onassumptions more than finding answers to grasp its audience’s attention. The Crime is Mine has a writing style that is unique in its approach, but blurs as it moves forward. To an extent, the experience of the film felt like watching continuous episodes of Law and Order. A case compiled with multiple moments of different characterizations, stories, and opposing sides. To its credit, it is an arthouse flick with a form of classiness. It just does not make all that much sense.

A French film set in an era where murder lacked resources for investigations. A range of characters that do add quality to the film’s writing. A case that is too confusing. However, the writing is hard to follow. The Crime is Mine is not terrible, it just keeps getting stranger as the film progresses. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for The Crime is Mine.