La chair de l'orchidée

Claire (Charlotte Rampling) escapes from an asylum where she has been imprisoned at the behest of her aunt and is aided by Louis (Bruno Cremer). They find themselves pursued by the Berekian brothers and the aunt who knows that Claire is the heir to a great fortune.

Based as it is on the sequel to NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH it's no surprise that this film should inhabit a similar world of grotesque characters, bizarre incidents and savage death. With much of the violent mayhem set against a background of muddy rural yards and incessant driving rain, the resonant impression is of a battlefield in which most of the combatants will complete their private hell of isolation and desperation.

A dark thriller which improves with a second viewing, it is compelling in no small part due to its star. Charlotte Rampling is so right as the enigmatic Claire trying to make sense of her own identity and it is difficult to think of any other actress who would be more perfect for this role; Bruno Cremer is quietly effective as her doomed lover.

A subplot toward the end concerning the aunt, another grotesque, merely serves to dissipate the earlier tension.