FEMALE PERVERSIONS
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Its title, FEMALE PERVERSIONS, almost guarantees that most people will write off the film as a soft porn exploitation flick. Those who do see it for cheap thrills will probably be disappointed. But those viewers expecting thought provoking material, will not be.
Although the film opened to uniformly good reviews, first-time director Susan Streitfeld had difficulty obtaining financing for it. She wanted to make a sexually explicit film about the perversions women are forced into by society and about the unlocking of the erotic chains for women. She succeeds in one of the more provocative films in a year already filled with them (KISSED, CRASH, FETISHES, and RIPE to name a few).
Evelyn "Eve" Stevens, played with explosive power by Tilda Swinton, is an accomplished and hard driving attorney, who has a tremendous sexual appetite as well as a troubled childhood that haunts her every action. Eve's bravado will likely shock many viewers. One moment she is on her way to an interview with the Governor for a judgeship, and the next she is off for a bizarre erotic tryst with her male friend John (Clancy Brown), where she makes sure that his office door is unlocked to increase her thrill factor. A constant dabbler in things sexual, Eve has a lesbian affair with Renee (Karen Sillas), the new doctor in her building.
What makes the film sad and troubling are the nightmares which Eve has day and night. Although they relate back to some incident with her father, they seem much broader in context. To reinforce this notion are numerous sayings written on everything from pillow embroidery to billboard signs. ("Perversions are never what they seem to be." "In a perversion, there is no freedom, only a rigid conformity to stereotype." "Perversion scenarios are about desperate need.")
Eve's actions in the film can only be examined within the context of her trying to break the bonds of what society expects of her. Although she gets great satisfaction from her secret life outside of her profession, she is the source of constant criticism from her nightmare images. ("Nothing about you is genuine. Everyone knows you're a fraud.") The more successful she becomes, the more she has self-doubts.
Society seems fixated on Eve's sexuality, which troubles her. When she delivers an argument in court, we see the males mentally undressing her. In her interview with the governor she becomes obsessed with a loose thread on her skirt.
Amy Madigan plays Eve's sister Madelyn. Madelyn, with her casual, rugged clothes, looks like someone who might work at a health food store. Her image is quite a contrast to Eve's tight fitting professional image with her suits, pancake makeup, and bright lipstick. Madelyn is a kleptomaniac -- "I steal to stop me from killing myself" -- who is about to defend her Ph.D. thesis at UCLA. The two sisters, who appear on the surface to be polar opposites, actually share many traits.
This complex and troubling show, which covers much wider territory that it might seem, ends abruptly. The confusion left in the viewer's mind appears intentional. A richly textured movie that demands a second viewing to comprehend it all. But the film has such intensity that most will be reluctant to sit through it again. Still, the journey the picture takes you on is enlightening.
FEMALE PERVERSIONS runs 1:59. It is rated R for full frontal male and female nudity, explicit sexual acts, two self mutilation scenes and strong language. I think the film should have been rated NC-17, and I do not think it is appropriate for teenagers. I recommend the film to adults willing to explore troubling ground and give the movie ***.
**** = A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = Totally and painfully unbearable picture.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: May 30, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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