【Metafiction Special】 In the House (France, 2012, M)

Rating: M – Suitable for mature audiences; contains sex scenes & offensive language.

No films capture the seductive danger of storytelling as sharply as François Ozon’s In the House. This French drama begins with a seemingly simple classroom exercise but soon unfolds into a chilling meditation on the blurred line between reality and fiction.

The story centers on Claude, a gifted but manipulative student who writes about infiltrating a classmate’s home. His teacher, Germain, becomes both mentor and accomplice, encouraging him to continue even as the stories slip uneasily into lived reality. Each new chapter destabilizes the boundary between observation and invention, drawing both characters—and the audience—into a web of narrative intrigue.

With its clever layering of fiction inside fiction, In the House is not just about writing but about the power and danger of stories themselves. Stylish, suspenseful, and morally unsettling, it shows how the act of storytelling can reshape reality, seduce its listeners, and leave no one untouched.

Location: Ellen Melville Centre, 2 Freyberg Place, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1000
Date and Time: Thursday, October 9, 2025, at 6:30 PM
Fee: Free entry!

Note: We’re hosting the event on the second floor of the Ellen Melville Center. Please use the entrance on the right side of the building on the ground floor. Once you go up to the second floor, you’ll see our venue right there.