Martyr or the Death of Saint Eulalia

Reading about this film, it certainly seems interesting. The sensual lure of pain, of experiencing the punishment and crucifixion of a 3rd century martyr. Nice idea by the director-writer, who also plays the part of the photographer in the film. However, this is obviously a low-budget film with a minimal cast. I don't fault the cast who I think did a decent enough job, but I think the director-writer, who as photographer in the film was on the giving end, could use a nice whipping himself. Either he is weak on the pleasures of punishment or doesn't know how to film it or perhaps both. The way a person moves, the special squirm when experiencing the intense sensual pleasure of pain from a whipping or cutting – I didn't see that. The way one resists the lure of sensual pain but then succumbs doesn't really come through. More a clichéd treatment in my view by seemingly pain-pleasure wannabes. Not that a 3rd century martyr would be expected to have that response, but the pleasure aspect was the motivation of the 21st century protagonist. I was hoping for a parallel story set in the 3rd century, but all you see are pages in a book. Lame story and slow moving. I would really like to like the film, and I suppose someone sufficiently curious about the subject matter may find it worthwhile, but for me it simply did not deliver.