The Lost Door

I took pleasure in watching The Lost Door.

It is poetic and very beautifully filmed, this in contrast to the dark subject. I love the acting and the story, how it enrolls and how it ends in a surprising way. I was swept away by the poetry and the play with music and sound versus speech. More than an erotic film The Lost Door is a statement and an invitation to explore our human condition and so-called free will. It is much deeper than one would expect, pretty much an art pamphlet that puts new light on human relations.

The different layers invite to watch the movie several times. Which I intend to do.

There is so much to be enjoyed.

Pretty complex flick for moron like me. Main problem is producer don't understand he is trying to behave like old white men who making laws for abortions. Second point is he couldn't catch females have different mentality no matter at all media noise. Another point is any society always at civil war within itself and, as language don't have formal value, it never ends.

There is little that is not a struggle or confrontation in life. This movie shows the showdown between two people, at opposite odds, who are not able to understand one another. But who may be the same. Production values are high, while production costs are well below almost virtually all studio budgets. And produced and directed by a singular artist. While there are structural problems in the script, an attempt was made to make up for them, that is obvious. Casting is uneven, but the actions and the situations of the characters are engaging and make the viewer want to see and listen to more. Stuart's photography and lighting, well-known via his books, highlight erotic and dramatic moments that bring to life real people in a contemporary art scheme of life: nothing matters, but that nothing is a matter of life or death.

The Lost Door is an erotic thriller that straddles the line between fantasy and reality. This interplay is already a dominant theme in Stuart's photography and it is explored in a new light with the added complexities of dialogue, motion and music. The driving energy of this film derives from imbalanced relationships- captor and inmate; teacher and student; lover and seducer... The roles of domination and submission are in continuous flux; fantasy and reality become alternately indistinguishable as characters surrender to their desires and then succumb to reason.

The cast of actors perform passionately and Nicole Auberger is a particular standout- both for her endearing naivety and phenomenal beauty. The musical score heightens the romance and intrigue, with sudden pauses of silence applied to good dramatic effect. Quirky details indulge us with insight into Stuart's creative mind: carefully captured reflections off a pair of sunglasses, the odd line of dialogue in Chinese, the humor of a tree shaped like a vulva.

The outtakes and supplemental scenes are a must-see, particularly the beggar who fakes an injured leg. Stuart likes to explore different fantasies in his work and the hot beggar is a good one. Anybody who has spent time around Paris will understand.

This is a complex and multifaceted film, the type that you will want to watch at least once.

"The Lost Door" to me, is a poetic roller-coaster trip. What I mean by that, is that the viewer may be overwhelmed by the film. There is so much to see! You really need to see the film more than once to fully appreciate it. Kristina's memories, I call them "glimpses from her mind", are filmed in a visually beautiful way and accompanied with poems and great music, that is composed by Roy Stuart himself. I think they are pieces of art in themselves.

I have seen "The Lost Door" several times now and I think it is a piece of art and a must see! The visuals, the sound and the story makes you think.