Review of Death and the Maiden (2003) by Mirko B — 31 Aug 2011

This is Polanski at his finest. Sigourney Weaver plays Paulina, former south-American activist, who runs into one of her torturers from the time when she was held captive when he drops by for a drink with her husband, and recognizes him as the infamous Dr. Miranda(Ben Kingsley) who had repeatedly raped her. The situation escalates into a hostage crisis, where Paulina tries to make Miranda confess to his crimes with a gun, in spite of her husband's begging not to do it...

Weaver was probably chosen for the role because of her "mad-woman-with-a-gun" charisma from the Alien films and she was the perfect choice for the role of Paulina, tormented by the ghosts of her past and hungry for satisfaction. The odd thing is, you never once sympathize with her because of her suffering. She doesn't exude a fragility usually connected with victims. What's more, the trauma has turned her into a monster herself. A monster unleashed the moment she recognizes her tormentor in her living room. Ben Kingsley brilliantly portrayed Dr. Miranda, who succeeds in playing his hosts for a fool through the entire film, and almost has the viewers believe he's innocent. By the time the film is finished, you're unsure yourself. Though he delivers a convincing confession in the final scene, there's till that hint of doubt hanging in the air: was he telling the truth or did he just want to get out of Paulina's claws and save his life? And Polanski make you believe Paulina is going to kill him anyway, but when she finally hears what she wanted to hear from Dr. Miranda, she doesn't pull the trigger, proving that there still might be a bit of humanity left underneath all of that suffering and trauma inside her.