Frustration

"Frustration" is a quintessential,low-budget and sleazy Eurotika's horror/drama from the Pope Of Perversion himself,director Jose Benazeraf(recent recipient of the 'Golden Penis' for lifetime achievement in porn).Tormented by incestuous fantasies,a sexually repressed woman makes love to her brother's wife and then kills herself.This truly bizarre piece of 1970s Eurosleaze is not easy to analyze.It's also loaded with scenes of sex and torture,but the nudity is pretty sparse and not explicit."Frustration" has been passed for cinema exhibition in 1972,rated X of course,but has never submitted on video.It's a crying shame,because this stylish little "Repulsion" knock-off needs to be seen.Give it a look.8 out of 10.

Jose Benazeraf's "Frustration" is a superior example of a sexploitation film which is well-enough made to classify as an arthouse flick. The film's portrayal of the interior erotic life ofa sexually repressed woman, whose fantasies turn increasingly disturbing, is handled better than anyone would have expected from a supposedly sleazy Euro exploitation flick.

Even the nudity, of which there is much, is handled in a tasteful and non-exploitative way.

Benazeraf's direction of the fantasy scenes, above all, is superlative. The cinematography in these scenes is subtle yet mesmerising.

It is beyond me how Benazeraf isn't better known; perhaps this was his only decent movie: it certainly seems to be his best known. His tag as "The French Tinto Brass" is ridiculous. Brass never had this much skill.

I think comparisons of this film to Polanski's subtle, precise and devastating, Repulsion are a bit rich but I suppose I can see the reasoning. Frustrated lady going mad and all that but that's it. No way Mr. Benazeraf was ever going to go subtle on anyone but this does catch the eye. Not sure about some of the pretension dialogue or those great long periods without any at all but then this is a French film. This also means that unlike English sex films of this time that tended to have speeded up Benny Hill style slapstick sequences with people shedding the odd costume, the French way is to slow things down with slow motion and even stop with a lingering still frame. I'm being a little unfair because this does look great all the time, the wintry near monochrome exteriors and the full on colourful interiors and I haven't even mentioned the abundance of flesh, also beautifully shot. I don't believe I have seen a film where quite so many young ladies drop their clothes and with such abandon. There is also a Sadean sequence, some religious drivel and rather a lot of TV news which is at times an interesting element.

This obscure psychological drama is a film simply crying out for a DVD transfer. It's one that would really justify some loving care and it should really be available in a cleaned-up widescreen print. Its retitled name, The Chambermaid's Dream, is quite senseless. The original title 'Frustration' is much more meaningful. It's a pretty small-scale drama about a doctor, his wife and her sister who all live together in a remote house in a snowy landscape. The sister is a psychologically damaged woman with issues about sex. She begins having sexual fantasies involving her sister and brother-in-law. These become more and more sadomasochistic as the story progresses.

It's these fantasy sequences that elevate this feature to a higher level. They are beautifully photographed, with excellent sinister musical accompaniment. There is a definite foreboding atmosphere throughout the picture but it's these erotic daydreams that top things off. The film stars Janine Reynaud in the role of the repressed sister. She starred in several cult Euro flicks from the time such as The Case of the Scorpion's Tail and Human Cobras but of all her roles this is probably her best. She's very good and convinces as the troubled central character. The movie in general has a pretty decent level of acting and script, with several references to contemporary politics and current affairs. This, combined with the stylish erotic sequences makes for a pretty superior effort overall. It has the pastel colour schemes and slightly down-beat feel that differentiates French films from, say, Italian equivalents but this works to the story's benefit and fits in with its somewhat classy brand of erotica.