Every morning, housekeeper Evelyn cycles enthusiastically to the stately country house of Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen, from the Danish TV series Borgen), where she does not receive a particularly warm welcome. Cynthia curtly barks orders at her; and if she is not satisfied with the work, Evelyn is punished. It seems as if the two are caught up in a long-term S&M relationship.
Cynthia, a prim & proper lepidopterist (or butterfly expert), seems to be the dominant one. But director Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio) fairly soon reveals that things may not be as they seem. In reality, it is Evelyn who strictly imposes her fantasies on Cynthia by means of cards with instructions.
The opulent decor (in which dark red sets the tone), the sultry camera work and romantic soundtrack make The Duke of Burgundy a sensual drama, even if most of the eroticism takes place off camera. Strickland concentrates on the completely convincing love between the two women, who are able to create their own timeless (and manless) universe – a place where it is normal to be locked up in a chest.
Film details
- Country of production
- UK
- Year
- 2014
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2015
- Length
- 101"
- Medium/Format
- DCP
You may also like this
-
Atlantic.
Fettah’s desire for freedom in Europe is greater than his love for his homeland and family. The young fisherman sets off on an exhausting, perilous
-
La prochaine fois je viserai le coeur
1978, the inhabitants of Oise – women especially – live a terrified life due to a serial killer who is as brutal as he is invisible. Ho
-
A Most Violent Year
1981, New York. An exceptionally violent year. As the owner of a fuel oil business (a polished performance from Oscar Isaac) discovers. He is havin