+ Sexiest Movie of the Year
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| The sexually suggestive poster for Peter Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy |
The Duke of Burgundy is the new, third feature written and directed by English filmmaker Peter Strickland (Katalin Varga (2009)).
In a large estate in a forest, two women cultivate their sexual relationship that is based on the younger woman's subordination to the older.
Strickland has created a rare, rich and strange film that is infused with inspirations from 70's sexploitation cinema.
The success of Burgundy lies in its portrayal of the dynamics of the sub/dom-relationship, delightfully precise and as detailed as the formal plot and character blueprints are deliberately fuzzy. - The two characters and their relationship, which is basically the whole film, live in a place that seems outside of time, and which is solely inhabited by females.
The film is carried by two great performances: Danish Sidse Babett Knudsen (Speed-Walking/Kapgang (2014)) presents a new side of her talent as the positively sex-steaming moth-professor (!) dominatrix, and Italian Chiara D'Anna (Berberian Sound Studio (2012)) gives just the right both simultaneously subservient and demanding glances as her lover Evelyn.
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| Sidse Babett Knudsen and Chiara D'Anna are resplendent in Peter Strickland's The Duke of Burgundy |
Duke is a really great, lustful piece of elegant erotica, much sexier than most all of the very sexually explicit films of recent years, regardless of the viewer's gender or sexuality. It might not appeal to the probably few individuals who cannot relate to the sexual bondage relationship, but its strong visuals, music and performances might persuade them anyway.
The problem in Duke only arises in tits third act, as Strickland doesn't know when to wrap it up and attaches a redundant final conflict of perhaps around 15 minutes length. He had the perfect opportunity to end his film, SPOILER as the camera zoomed in and seemed to disappear in Knudsen's dark, mysterious panties, but he didn't catch it.
Still, this good and very kinky film shouldn't be missed.
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Watch the trailer for the film here
Cost: Estimated 1 mil. $
Box office: Around 120k $ (US and UK only) and counting
= Uncertainty
[But most likely a huge flop. The film has played at several festivals and earned many great reviews. It is in theaters in a range of countries right now and is pending summer premieres in Sweden, Australia, France and Holland. Read an interview with Strickland, talking about the making of the film here.]
What do you think of The Duke of Burgundy?
Seen Strickland's other films?
If so, how was/were it/they?
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