kurbane

The set designs, costumes, and music are excellent. The acting is superb, Rufus Sewell is at his best as the tormented husband and Kaya Scodelario is enjoyable as the perfect housewife slowly loosing it. Also, the husband's torment is portrayed in a clever nightmarish way. Furthermore, I enjoyed the heightened mystery surrounding the "witches". This is a crime drama that uses elements of horror. I think people who disliked this adaptation have read the book or didn't understand the ending. I have never read the book. However, the ending would have been better if the conversation between the "witches" and housewife had been overheard in detail.

I finally saw 'Stranger by the Lake', streaming it on Netflix. The movie takes a detached look at a gay cruising area situated by an idyllic lake area in France. The film has plenty of nudity and graphic sex and some viewers denigrate the film as porn, I know porn and this is certainly not that. In fact, I found the direct and unapologetic look at the main character's desire and sexuality to be refreshing. I did have two problems with the film. First, the lack of suspense given the circumstances of the film. Second, the one dimensional characters; the hot stud who can't commit, the young twink that confuses sex and desire for love, and the older pathetic man. However, I enjoyed that the film on another level is about risk and inadvertently becomes a moral story showing the viewer that when you are unable to subsume your desire and do the right thing tragedy results.