Review: Mariscos Beach Dir: Oliver Ducastel France, 2004, 35mm, 93mins French with English subtitles Well, Christmas holidays at Red Beach were nothing like this! This ultra-wicked French comedy drew a big audience tonight (nearly two theatres full) and deservedly so. It is a solid gold hoot! A French family take their annual vacation on the Cote d'azur. Holidays are there to break the routine of ordinary life the mother declares. But this year the routine is really, truly broken. You might say, things come to a head ... or two. Their son, Charly, likes teasing his dad that he's gay, so he invites his gay friend Martin along. Martin obliges because he's in lust with Charly. Then the wife's kooky lover follows along. He's the inventive type and enjoys jumping out at the wife from behind bushes or rocks. The wife seems to enjoy it, too. When the son meets the local plumber at the local cruising ground ('le fort') you think this is as outrageous as it can get. But, no, this is just the beginning of a merry-go-round of revelations. It's all done with a whimsical charm that never strays too far from a down-to-earthniness, while a picturesque, delusionary summer haze helps explain well, not everything but almost everything. I could have done without the overly long, self-conscious song and dance at the end (reminded me of the embarassing conclusion to Hair where the cast and audience were supposed to dance together, ooooh). And though the Cote d'azur looks fabulous at a distance, up close the rocky, rocky beaches made my toes itch to get some Red Beach sand between them. John Curry - 31st May 2006