A Morte e a Donzela

Three characters, one suffocating place. The bizarre world of Roman Polanski transported to a true, painful and little known historical context. The film is an X ray into secret, open wounds. We're never sure what happens in Sigourney's mind, but we're aware that her pain and her anger are real. We are unable to take sides, we're too afraid. We want for the ordeal to end and yet, we're glued to the discomfort and uncertainty. Recommended for masochists and film lovers.

An incredibly powerful and stylish psychological thriller. Just a treat to see the talents of Polanski, Weaver, Kingsley, and the little known Wilson all on display in this complex and suspenseful story. Great to see the time and effort taken by Polanski to create such rich character development. Can't think of many movies (Sex, Lies and Videotape also comes to mind) that takes such a wonderfully unforced and unhurried pace to bring the characters to life with all their complex layers.

The interaction between Weaver and Kingsley is just mesmerizing. Then again, would you expect anything less from these two consummate pros? Actually, I've always been a fan of Weaver, but no doubt in my mind this is her most powerful, but unfortunately most overlooked performance of her career. One achingly emotional and gripping scene by Weaver of a confessional nature at the crux of this movie goes on unedited seemingly for minutes. It's one of the most moving moments of movie making I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Kingsley is also at his best here. He's just one of those actors who could read a phone book and I'd sit and watch! An incredible piece of acting which asks a great deal of the viewer - to continuously doubt and question his character's TRUE identity - and pull it off believably.

Well, sorry to be so vague when it comes to plot points, but I wouldn't dare spoil this fine unknown gem for those willing to take a chance on a movie for the not-so-faint of heart. The themes are extremely adult here, but for those who appreciate a drama you can sink your teeth into that isn't afraid of some powerful realism, this is a no-brainer!

"Death and the Maiden" begins in a purposely disorienting way--a woman walks around her secluded, South American villa, preparing dinner, when the power suddenly goes out. Her husband is returned home by a stranger after his car gets a flat; later, after assuaging his wife's spastic bouts of unexplained paranoia, the stranger returns with the husband's spare tire. The husband, wanting to reward the man's generosity, invites him in for a drink. The wife, who is extremely on edge, escapes the house undetected and steals the stranger's car, pushing it off a cliff and into the ocean below. After this, the film settles down into a three-character psychodrama of the highest order.

Roman Polanski, a director who can mine tension with a bare minimum of means, uses deliberate lighting, specific camera angles, and a well-paced narrative to create a film where the suspense is endlessly being ratcheted up a notch, often in ways that are quite surprising. The wife, Paulina (Sigourney Weaver), suspects the stranger (Ben Kingsley) of raping and torturing her years ago; her husband, Gerardo (Stuart Wilson), is a lawyer who is enlisted to get the man's confession. The game of psychological cat-and-mouse that ensues is absorbing.

Both Kingsley and Wilson fare well in their roles, but it is Weaver who energizes the film. Her performance is absolutely (this deserves all caps) RUTHLESS, filled with moments of raging violence, icy detachment, and degradation (emphasized in graphic recollections of torture); if you thought Ellen Ripley was fearless in the face of the Queen Alien, "Death and the Maiden" shows an altogether different kind of tough exterior for the actress. In a way, I was reminded of the graphic revenge that took place in the infamous rape drama "I Spit on Your Grave"; while "Death and the Maiden" is superior, it is just as similarly driven (though the rape and torture is left to our imaginations), and its psychological edge, matched with top-drawer performances, moves it further from a 'filmed play' and into more visceral terrain. And, as he's so good at doing, Polanski keeps us guessing till the very end.

Highly recommended.

In this movie, Sigourney Weaver is thoroughly believable with her trademark edge, rarely seen in other women actors. The doctor, although obviously with selfish motives, kept me guessing until the end as to whether he was guilty of the crimes of torture she claimed he committed against her, having not seen the face of, but only having heard the voice of the man she remembered. You don't know the truth until the end. It is very riveting. Her relationship with her husband is very realistic, as well, and very revealing about both of their characters. All three roles were depicted as intensely real. I enjoyed this thriller from the moment it began to the very end. You are immediately engaged in her reality, rather than experiencing a slow build up seen with most movies. Very satisfying because no character was one-sided, but they were multi-dimensional, with each having a unique history. Bravo!

Rarely does a film with only three actors create such unbearable tension and cover political aspects too. Also, the film has great actors: Ben Kingsley gives the impression that he himself didn't know whether his character was guilty or not; Stuart Wilson is a typical confused lawyer-husband; and Sigourney Weaver probably gives her best performance – of course, she's got a good role.

I enjoy stories, where people get in situations so terrible and unnatural that they are unable to see their extent. They cannot think clearly and so their thinking structure changes and they begin to take completely absurd things into consideration. Every person reacts a little differently to the situation. I love this, and that's why I give this movie the best rating. I couldn't find any flaws in the movie, actually.