The Duke Of Burgundy ✯ 〈DELUXE〉

If you walk into Peter Strickland’s The Duke of Burgundy expecting a historical biopic about a French nobleman, you will be bewildered within the first five minutes. There is no duke. There is no Burgundy. Instead, there is a crumbling, sun-drenched European villa populated only by women, the constant drone of insects, and the quiet, ceremonial rustle of silk.

Furthermore, the complete absence of men, cars, or modern technology (the time period is intentionally vague) creates a dreamlike bubble. While this is beautiful, it occasionally robs the relationship of any external stakes. The only drama is internal. The Duke Of Burgundy

Director: Peter Strickland Starring: Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'Anna Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) If you walk into Peter Strickland’s The Duke

Yes, you read that correctly. For a film entirely about a sadomasochistic relationship, there is almost no nudity. Strickland understands that the waiting and the ritual are the turn-ons, not the act itself. He eroticizes the tension, the power exchange, and the vulnerability of asking your partner to hurt you. Instead, there is a crumbling, sun-drenched European villa

What you get is one of the most exquisitely strange and intellectually rigorous films about the nature of love, control, and consent ever committed to celluloid.