Post by klep on Sept 19, 2016 6:42:33 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/19: The Duke of Burgundy
The topline of The Duke of Burgundy sounds salacious - a film about two women in a dominant/submissive relationship with each other. And there's no doubt this is a very sensual film. But anyone coming to The Duke of Burgundy looking for prurient titillation is going to be disappointed - there's nary a boob to be seen. Instead this picture is about relationships, using the dominant/submissive dynamic to explore the trade offs and difficulties we face in trying to make our partners happy and maintain a healthy, loving life together.
Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) craves being dominated and punished, but Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) is not a natural domme. She gamely submits to the games Evelyn wants to play, but it's clear that she's struggling despite the deep love they share for each other. It's not just that she doesn't have the knack for playing her role, it bothers her to hurt Evelyn and cause her discomfort - no matter how much Evelyn enjoys it. For her part Evelyn finds herself frustrated by Cynthia's reticence and need for prompting, not quite understanding what she's putting her partner through.
This kind of struggle is not unique to this style of relationship. All relationships are built on compromises and accommodations for our partners - that altruistic desire to do what it takes to make our partners happy is an expression of the love we have for them. And sometimes we take advantage of our partners' willingness for our own ends, not realizing how what we're asking them to do is bothering them. I'm sure a number of you, dear readers, have partners that barely tolerate your obsessions with film, and the idea of the husband ignoring his wife to watch football is so pervasive that it's become a tired cliche.
Evelyn and Cynthia are brought to a similar impasse, leading both of them to take actions that hurt each other. But the thing about love is that it is stronger than a single transgression or an unknowing advantage-taking. When Evelyn and Cynthia finally lay all their cards on the table and talk things out honestly, they're able to restore a healthy equilibrium - and their relationship will be the stronger for it.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/26: Zardoz
Apparently a lot of you wanted to watch Sean Connery in his weird thong getup because our next Movie of the Week is Zardoz. Come learn about the virtues of the gun as we watch one of the weirder selections to grace this feature. Zardoz is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
The topline of The Duke of Burgundy sounds salacious - a film about two women in a dominant/submissive relationship with each other. And there's no doubt this is a very sensual film. But anyone coming to The Duke of Burgundy looking for prurient titillation is going to be disappointed - there's nary a boob to be seen. Instead this picture is about relationships, using the dominant/submissive dynamic to explore the trade offs and difficulties we face in trying to make our partners happy and maintain a healthy, loving life together.
Evelyn (Chiara D'Anna) craves being dominated and punished, but Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) is not a natural domme. She gamely submits to the games Evelyn wants to play, but it's clear that she's struggling despite the deep love they share for each other. It's not just that she doesn't have the knack for playing her role, it bothers her to hurt Evelyn and cause her discomfort - no matter how much Evelyn enjoys it. For her part Evelyn finds herself frustrated by Cynthia's reticence and need for prompting, not quite understanding what she's putting her partner through.
This kind of struggle is not unique to this style of relationship. All relationships are built on compromises and accommodations for our partners - that altruistic desire to do what it takes to make our partners happy is an expression of the love we have for them. And sometimes we take advantage of our partners' willingness for our own ends, not realizing how what we're asking them to do is bothering them. I'm sure a number of you, dear readers, have partners that barely tolerate your obsessions with film, and the idea of the husband ignoring his wife to watch football is so pervasive that it's become a tired cliche.
Evelyn and Cynthia are brought to a similar impasse, leading both of them to take actions that hurt each other. But the thing about love is that it is stronger than a single transgression or an unknowing advantage-taking. When Evelyn and Cynthia finally lay all their cards on the table and talk things out honestly, they're able to restore a healthy equilibrium - and their relationship will be the stronger for it.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/26: Zardoz
Apparently a lot of you wanted to watch Sean Connery in his weird thong getup because our next Movie of the Week is Zardoz. Come learn about the virtues of the gun as we watch one of the weirder selections to grace this feature. Zardoz is available for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.