IFFR KINO #23: The Duke of Burgundy

On Wednesday, 1 May, we will be screening the scintillating and comic The Duke of Burgundy by Peter Strickland (Berberian Sound Studio). A homage to European soft erotic films of the 1960s and ’70s.

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 (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 camerawork and romantic soundtrack make The Duke of Burgundy a sensual drama, even if most of the eroticism takes place off screen. 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 in a chest.

Peter Strickland, 2014, United Kingdom, 101’, English

Why now?
Last autumn, Peter Strickland’s latest film In Fabric (2018) had its world premiere in Toronto. This stylish, hilarious homage to the Italian horror genre, about a red dress with satanic powers, immediately made us yearn to show his previous stylistic masterpiece, The Duke of Burgundy, again.

Wednesday, 3 April, 19:30, KINO Rotterdam