This film is better than it sounded when I read the synopsis in the guide. It's not overly salacious or politically correct but it does put another nail in the coffin for boring white straight guys. It's a story about grief perhaps but it seems to celebrate people accepting who they are even if that's a little left of Centre, like cross dressing. The lead actress is fantastic at her role. It's a meaty premise, lightly handled with French charm. You don't have to be a rainbow warrior to enjoy it. Sure it's a little too neatly wrapped up, but it's like a little pomegranate in your salad. It kinda wakes you up.

The French film Une nouvelle amie was shown in the U.S. with the title The New Girlfriend. It was written and directed by François Ozon.

Claire and Laura were best friends for life. Tragically, Laura dies suddenly, leaving her husband David and their infant daughter bereft of wife and mother. Claire (Anaïs Demoustier) visits David (Romain Duris) unannounced, and she is amazed that he is wearing Laura's clothes. We learn that David enjoys cross-dressing, and he (as Virginia) and Claire become BFF's.

That means there's a triangle, or quadrangle, depending on your point of view. We have Clare and her husband, and David, and/or Virginia. The rest of the movie plays out around these relationships.

As I write this review, the film has an IMDb rating of only 6.6. I think it's much better than that, and I hope potential viewers won't be turned away by the underrating of this film.

We saw Une nouvelle amie on the large screen as part of the great ImageOut, the Rochester LGBTQ Film Festival. It will work very well on the small screen. Find it and see it!