Pier Paolo Pasolini's Teorema (Theorem) is a strange and mystifying film that explores among other themes the emptiness and spiritual isolation of modern bourgeois existence.
Terence Stamp plays the nameless stranger who effortlessly insinuates himself into the life of a well-off Milanese family while their guest for a few days. One by one all the family fall under his spell. He dallies with the sexually repressed mother, seduces the over-protected daughter, charms the maid and has the same powerful effect on the son and the father. Unable to cope with life after his departure the family end up destroying themselves in various ways.
Released in 1968 the film had a lukewarm reception at the box office. Most critics found its theme of a spiritually joyless modern world too abstruse and hard to understand. Yet it is a film that makes a powerful statement about the state of modern existence.
Pasolini was a director who was unafraid to tackle themes that other directors found too risky or tended to avoid. His films used mostly non-professional actors and often focused on overt political and sexually-charged content. He also wrote novels and poetry.
Trivia: Laura Betti, who plays the maid, won the Volpi Cup as Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for this film.
Terence Stamp plays the nameless stranger who effortlessly insinuates himself into the life of a well-off Milanese family while their guest for a few days. One by one all the family fall under his spell. He dallies with the sexually repressed mother, seduces the over-protected daughter, charms the maid and has the same powerful effect on the son and the father. Unable to cope with life after his departure the family end up destroying themselves in various ways.
Released in 1968 the film had a lukewarm reception at the box office. Most critics found its theme of a spiritually joyless modern world too abstruse and hard to understand. Yet it is a film that makes a powerful statement about the state of modern existence.
Pasolini was a director who was unafraid to tackle themes that other directors found too risky or tended to avoid. His films used mostly non-professional actors and often focused on overt political and sexually-charged content. He also wrote novels and poetry.
Trivia: Laura Betti, who plays the maid, won the Volpi Cup as Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for this film.