I was unimpressed by Peter Stickland's previous film Berberian Sound Studio so the only reason I wanted to see this film was because it starred Sidse Babett Knudson. So let me be honest and get this point out of the way – despite the fact this film features no nudity, I found it very erotic. I then asked myself how would a female viewer assess this film and went looking for an answer. Checking the linked critics review on IMDb revealed that there are very few reviews by female critics (that applies to all films not just this one) which certainly gives pause for thought in itself. Of those female critics most gave it an average to excellent rating and did not on the whole consider the film to be exploitative. Jennifer Drewett from I'm With Geek raised the question "how can a lesbian film directed by a man come out without pandering to the male gaze?" before going on to praise the film.
My view is that this film does in part pander to the male gaze and indeed it should given the director set out to make a homage to 1970s Euro-sleaze films albeit filtered through an artistic aesthetic. In fact it's more effective than modern porn because, as in a good horror film, the more explicit material is only implied and occurs off screen. I don't want to labour the point but I do think some other writers have avoided the question of its eroticism or, in some cases, even denied that it is erotic at all.
Putting the question of eroticism to bed (pun intended), how about the other elements of the film? The homage/pastiche elements of the film are done perfectly – anyone who has ever seen a 70s European sexploitation film will immediately recognise the stylised titles, the breathy soundtrack, the use of smoke and mirrors to imply you are seeing more than is actually displayed on screen. But deeper than this is a vision that incorporates these techniques into a beautifully realised and exquisitely lit and filmed world of its own which is internally consistent and appealing. The music and sound design are outstanding, the acting is excellent, the dream sequences better realised than almost anything you could compare them with.
The other thing about the film is that it is often laugh out loud funny. Some of the musings and the meetings of the entomological society are absurd and hilarious. The end credits are particularly funny. The humour ensures a good balance of light and shade throughout the film.
Some viewers will, I am sure, find this film pretentious in the way that I found Berberian Sound Studio to be pretentious. For me though Strickland has here found a perfect balance of the mysterious, the beautiful and the erotic. It also passes the test of being a film that I keep thinking about days later, unlike most modern films whose details I forget the minute I leave the cinema.
My view is that this film does in part pander to the male gaze and indeed it should given the director set out to make a homage to 1970s Euro-sleaze films albeit filtered through an artistic aesthetic. In fact it's more effective than modern porn because, as in a good horror film, the more explicit material is only implied and occurs off screen. I don't want to labour the point but I do think some other writers have avoided the question of its eroticism or, in some cases, even denied that it is erotic at all.
Putting the question of eroticism to bed (pun intended), how about the other elements of the film? The homage/pastiche elements of the film are done perfectly – anyone who has ever seen a 70s European sexploitation film will immediately recognise the stylised titles, the breathy soundtrack, the use of smoke and mirrors to imply you are seeing more than is actually displayed on screen. But deeper than this is a vision that incorporates these techniques into a beautifully realised and exquisitely lit and filmed world of its own which is internally consistent and appealing. The music and sound design are outstanding, the acting is excellent, the dream sequences better realised than almost anything you could compare them with.
The other thing about the film is that it is often laugh out loud funny. Some of the musings and the meetings of the entomological society are absurd and hilarious. The end credits are particularly funny. The humour ensures a good balance of light and shade throughout the film.
Some viewers will, I am sure, find this film pretentious in the way that I found Berberian Sound Studio to be pretentious. For me though Strickland has here found a perfect balance of the mysterious, the beautiful and the erotic. It also passes the test of being a film that I keep thinking about days later, unlike most modern films whose details I forget the minute I leave the cinema.