Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Excellent but underrated film

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

"Action vérité" or "Truth or Dare" is a French French-language short film from 1994, so it will have its 25th anniversary next year and here we got an early, but not very early filmmaking effort by writer and director François Ozon, who was still in his 20s when he shot this little movie. The title already gives away that here we have four teenagers, 2 boys and 2 girls, playing a not so harmless very sexual version of the popular party game Truth or Dare. With one exception, the actors in here never appeared in another film before or after this one and the exception also did not really have a prolific career. But it's really not about the characters here and they feel interchangable. It is much more about the atmosphere and the moment at the end that none of them will probably ever forget. With Ozon's new film coming out these days, it's maybe once again time to take a look into the old works from his very prolific career. This is one of them. It is nothing too great or memorable probably, but still entertaining enough from start to finish to check it out. Really at under 5 minutes here you can't really do anything wrong. And don't forget subtitles if you aren't fluent in French. They are not essential probably, but still help overall. It's a thumbs-up from me and I give this film a positive recommendation. Ozon's talent is certainly visible.

Action verite (Truth or Dare), available on The Collected Shorts of Francois Ozon dvd, is another cleverly composed short film with a surprise ending (like Le Trou Madame). If you're a fan of Ozon, you owe it to yourself to get your hands on this dvd. You will not be disappointed.

Francois Ozon has accumulated quite a number of short films over the years as we have watched him grow into an important film-maker. One of the great features of his work is the originality of his themes. This very short film is a mere incident in the lives of four teenagers daring to be different as they approach the boundaries of their sexual explorations. I liked the choice of characters - fresh-faced youth with a suggestion of cheekiness and naughtiness in their dancing eyes. There is a temptation to outdo each other in their game of "dares". Each "dare" probes deeper and becomes increasingly embarrassing to the participants until the result of the final "dare". Their laughter turns to shocked silence. I felt quite sick...but then Francois Ozon sets out to shock and in this respect it must be said he is once again successful.

This very short film shows us four teenagers, two boys and two girls, who sit down and play a game of truth or dare? It seems at first like harmless trivial fun, with the four youngsters teasing each other; then the final dare leaves them all speechless.