Death and the Maiden

"Death and the Maiden" begins in a purposely disorienting way--a woman walks around her secluded, South American villa, preparing dinner, when the power suddenly goes out. Her husband is returned home by a stranger after his car gets a flat; later, after assuaging his wife's spastic bouts of unexplained paranoia, the stranger returns with the husband's spare tire. The husband, wanting to reward the man's generosity, invites him in for a drink. The wife, who is extremely on edge, escapes the house undetected and steals the stranger's car, pushing it off a cliff and into the ocean below. After this, the film settles down into a three-character psychodrama of the highest order.

Roman Polanski, a director who can mine tension with a bare minimum of means, uses deliberate lighting, specific camera angles, and a well-paced narrative to create a film where the suspense is endlessly being ratcheted up a notch, often in ways that are quite surprising. The wife, Paulina (Sigourney Weaver), suspects the stranger (Ben Kingsley) of raping and torturing her years ago; her husband, Gerardo (Stuart Wilson), is a lawyer who is enlisted to get the man's confession. The game of psychological cat-and-mouse that ensues is absorbing.

Both Kingsley and Wilson fare well in their roles, but it is Weaver who energizes the film. Her performance is absolutely (this deserves all caps) RUTHLESS, filled with moments of raging violence, icy detachment, and degradation (emphasized in graphic recollections of torture); if you thought Ellen Ripley was fearless in the face of the Queen Alien, "Death and the Maiden" shows an altogether different kind of tough exterior for the actress. In a way, I was reminded of the graphic revenge that took place in the infamous rape drama "I Spit on Your Grave"; while "Death and the Maiden" is superior, it is just as similarly driven (though the rape and torture is left to our imaginations), and its psychological edge, matched with top-drawer performances, moves it further from a 'filmed play' and into more visceral terrain. And, as he's so good at doing, Polanski keeps us guessing till the very end.

Highly recommended.

An incredibly powerful and stylish psychological thriller. Just a treat to see the talents of Polanski, Weaver, Kingsley, and the little known Wilson all on display in this complex and suspenseful story. Great to see the time and effort taken by Polanski to create such rich character development. Can't think of many movies (Sex, Lies and Videotape also comes to mind) that takes such a wonderfully unforced and unhurried pace to bring the characters to life with all their complex layers.

The interaction between Weaver and Kingsley is just mesmerizing. Then again, would you expect anything less from these two consummate pros? Actually, I've always been a fan of Weaver, but no doubt in my mind this is her most powerful, but unfortunately most overlooked performance of her career. One achingly emotional and gripping scene by Weaver of a confessional nature at the crux of this movie goes on unedited seemingly for minutes. It's one of the most moving moments of movie making I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Kingsley is also at his best here. He's just one of those actors who could read a phone book and I'd sit and watch! An incredible piece of acting which asks a great deal of the viewer - to continuously doubt and question his character's TRUE identity - and pull it off believably.

Well, sorry to be so vague when it comes to plot points, but I wouldn't dare spoil this fine unknown gem for those willing to take a chance on a movie for the not-so-faint of heart. The themes are extremely adult here, but for those who appreciate a drama you can sink your teeth into that isn't afraid of some powerful realism, this is a no-brainer!

This movie, Death and the Maiden, is a remarkable production given that it is a stage drama put on film. There is virtually only one set. The actors are incredible. You never lose the essence of the Director, Roman Polanski. Your interest never wanes in this thriller. Sigourney Weaver is outstanding. She is shattered by her initial confrontation with her torturer, Ben Kingsley. And then her recalling of the atrocities at his hands gives her tremendous strength, the strength of a tiger. The climax is unsettling but proves the virtue of forgiveness and acceptance even with extreme misgivings. This is a movie that stays in your memory. Kudos to all concerned.

It is easy to heap praises on a film based on a good play--the subject overwhelms you. It is however not so easy to probe what is attractive in a good film beyond the two obvious elements--the subject and the acting.

I confess that I have loved Polanski's "The Ninth Gate" for the teaming of Polanski and Wojciech Kilar. This is the second film where the duo weaves magic with great music--beyond the Schubert piece around which the film revolves. The two gentlemen from Poland are truly gifted.

There is another person I admire and that is Rafael Yglesias. When he works on a screenplay, he makes the original look very different. He did that with Hugo's "Les Miserables" and got brickbats from purists. With Ariel Dorfman's literary work, the liberties are not so striking.

The cinematography of Tonino Delli Colli, Polanski's collaborator in "Bitter Moon" is again riveting: cloudy exteriors; stark interiors. The close-ups and long shots of Weaver are those of a lawyer, making the viewer a party to the "court case in progress"

Finally, this is Sigourney Weaver's finest film and can at best be only compared to her performances in "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Year of Living Dangerously."

Polanski is a director who has made good and indifferent films. I congratulate him on putting together his team of actors, cameramen, musicians and others to make this one. Only "Chinatown" and "Tess" were more enjoyable than this work of Polanski (including his early cinema).

Death and the Maiden is a thriller. A woman who had been tortured in a repressive government meets a man who has been her torturer, or has he?

It is also a psychological film. A married couple deals with uncovering the whole truth about their past.

And it is political. Although it is supposed to be a fictional story, it has more than a strong resemblance with the brutal tortures during Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. It is not filmed in that country, but they use Chilean money, they eat Chilean bread and they mention Tavelli, a popular café in Santiago.

Beautiful music. Schubert's Death and the Maiden, is played throughout the movie.

A great film to view with people who enjoy having discussions after.

Enjoy!