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Roman Polanski's film adaptation of Ariel Dorfman's stunning play about the legacy of torture has more in common with the director's first film,Knife in the Water(with all the latter's unnerving ambiguities about power, sexual transgression, and confused alliances among three people) than a straightforward political parable. Sigourney Weaver (a bit underwhelming in this role, but good overall) plays a former political prisoner in an unnamed South American country that has gone democratic. She is married to a government official (fine work by Stuart Wilson) heading up official inquiries into the practice of torture under the former regime. Still shattered by her experience, Weaver's character seeks safe haven in closets of the cliff-top house she shares with her husband. But when the latter comes home in the company of a seemingly nice fellow (a brilliant Ben Kingsley), she believes she recognizes the stranger as the interrogator who raped her repeatedly in prison. She violently takes him hostage, and what ensues is a hurricane of fury and confusion, as Kingsley's terrified character denies all accusations, Wilson's guilt-ridden spouse can't decide whom to defend, and Weaver turns her psychosexual rage into a weapon of humiliation. Dorfman adapted the screenplay himself, but there's no question that Polanski is leading us down a familiar path of human betrayal and terror that he crossed in such films asRosemary's Baby,Repulsion, andBitter Moon. At times stunning in its bluntness and compelling to the last,Death and the Maidenliterally takes us to the edge of oblivion, where--in Polanski's films--the hardest truths always seem to fall into a heretofore unknown perspective.--Tom Keogh
Polanski's Penance? It's more than a bit ironic to note that Death and the Maiden, arguably the most compassionately told film dealing with the long-term psychological effects of rape since Ida Lupino's Outrage in 1950, is directed by Roman Polanski, himself a confessed rapist. Is this movie, made almost two decades after his fleeing America to avoid prosecution, meant to be some sort of an attempt at penance? Regardless of it's intent, the resulting film is clearly Polanski's most personal to date (at least until 2002's The Pianist), and a return to form after a long stretch of sketchy output.
Having helped to shape some of the best female performances of the last half century (Catherine Deneuve in Repulsion and Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby to name a few), Polanski continues to cement his reputation as an actor's director, this time showcasing Sigourney Weaver (who's ever been a stronger screen presence than she is here). An actor of remarkable versatility, she's finally given a role that's both deserving of her talents and doesn't include aliens. And unlike her previous career-high (Gorillas in the Mist), she's allowed to fully embody the character without the disadvantage of having a director and a script that condescends to her.
Starring as Paulina Escobar, a former member of a leftist resistance group in an unnamed South American country, the film finds her married to an inept, idealistic lawyer (Stuart Wilson) who has only a vague understanding of the skeletons in her closet. That is until one night when, waiting for him to return from a meeting with the newly appointed President, he's dropped off by a stranger who's voice sounds eerily familiar. He explains to her that he'd had a flat tire and man had given him a lift home, so she seems to drop it. They quarrel briefly, make love, then are interrupted in the middle of the night by a knock at the door.
It's the stranger (Ben Kingsley, playing to or against type, depending on who you believe) come to drop off a new tire, an act of curious generosity given that the two men barely know eachother. After a few awkward moments, he's invited in for a nightcap and begins asking oddly probing questions. It turns out that Gerardo (Wilson) is heading the prosecution of those guilty of torture under the previous regime and is anxious for a sympathetic ear. That's just what Dr. Miranda (Kingsley) offers him, and it's during this Q and A session that Paulina begins to suspect that she may have finally found her tormentor.
What ensues from there is a psychological game of cat and mouse that's as tense as anything Polanski's ever done, as Paulina bounds and gags the doctor while attempting to coax a confession from him, though his guilt or innocence is left unresolved until the bitter end. It's here that the casting proves so vital. After all, can the man who played Gandhi really be guilty of such insidious crimes? I won't give away the ending, but rest assured it's one not soon to be forgotten, and allows Kingsley one of the best scenes of his career.
All three actors have great moments for that matter. A favorite of mine is when Kingsley, begging to be freed from his bounds after briefly incompasitating Paulina, says to Gerardo, "You did nothing. You just stood there." And Weaver responds, "Of course he just stood there. He's the law." It's these small, seemingly insignificant scenes that reveal the film's subtle nuances and make it a must-see.
A passed over masterpiece Without going into obscene detail, I only need to impart the following: One of the best adapted-to-screen plays I have ever seen. Polanski, as usual knows exactly when to execute with style, and when to leave things alone and not let directorial vanity obstruct the flow of storytelling. He balances this to perfection. The acting is of course unbelievable from all three leads. A fantastic story as well as resulting film, and a shame that it somehow went under the radar of the fickle critical community.Good Acting, Good Sound, Good Images, and Heavy Story One of what I consider the best movies. I just want to warn you that this movie deals with torturing a child sexually although the scene does not show it, in case you would like to avoid that topic.
The actors are acting so well that it feels almost real. What amazes me most is the fact that there are only three persons acting in the movie. With only three persons so much is going on, and story evolves, never letting me bored. This movie is very interesting, but I wouldn't watch it when I am in a gloomy mood. Also I would not show this movie to any child or young person.
This movie is about an intense anger/resentment and forgiveness. I do not know if it is realistic for a woman to be that courageous. The story itself, together with the excellent acting is quite intense, and I would not say it is entertaining, but it is a good movie.
No revenge can satisfy you, then what do you do? This movie is about forgiving unforgivable.
