Review of Death and the Maiden (2003) by Manu B — 20 Sep 2005

[size=3][font=Tahoma][size=2]Simply put, [i]Death and the Maiden[/i] is one of the most powerfully acted films I've ever seen. Of course, with consistently brilliant actors like Sigourney Weaver and Ben Kingsley playing the central characters, you can expect good performances, but what truly gives this film power is it's emotional and stirring script. Adapted from Ariel Dorfman's play, the film doesn't move too far from it's theatrical roots as it almost all takes place within one house- the home of politicial Gerardo Escobar (Stuart Wilson) and his paranoid wife Paulina (Weaver). As the film opens, Paulina has prepared the dinner, but she suddenly hears something on the radio which catches her ear. When Gerardo finally arrives home, he has been driven home by Dr. Roberto Miranda (Ben Kingsley) after his car gets a flat tire. Miranda leaves and Paulina confronts her husband about what she heard on the radio, which the audience slowly comes to understand is political discussion about the treatment of former torturers, and that Paulina had herself been tortured (explaining her extreme paranoia).

There's clearly a lot of buried tension buried within the married couple, as we see through their rather stunted conversations. This tension winds itself up, however, with the return of Dr. Miranda, who has simply come back with Gerardo's spare tire, but, hiding away in the bedroom, the doctor's voice and expressions spark off a memory inside Paulina, and, while Gerardo and Roberto enjoy a drink, she sneaks out, pushes Roberto's car over the cliff (leaving them stranded at the house), returns to the house and ties up the doctor, not intending to release him until she has a sincere confession- otherwise she will revenge his torture of her upon him.

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From this point, [i]Death and the Maiden[/i] barely lets the viewer go, taking them on an intense journey of emotion and confusion, which may well have been unbelievable had these actors not been present. Almost the entire film is in their hands, and they sieze it, delivering performances of striking intensity. Sigourney Weaver is filled with anger, pain and stubborness, remaining utterly convincing in her character's conviction that this utter stranger- whose face she had never seen before, since she was blindfolded during her torture- is this man from her past. Kingsley is just as outstanding, though his is certainly a more quiet performance; but he can seem totally innocent and bewildered one minute, while the next he seems sly and manipulative. Wilson is given the less interesting and complex character of the three, yet he serves as the audience's portal into the film, since we too aren't sure whether Paulina is correct or simply blinded by anger. His deliberance between loyalty to his wife and inability to cope with the situation is also striking.

Polanski's influence is occasionally distracting, using the narrative tricks (such as the return of the power, or a sudden phone call) in a melodramatic and jarring manner, so that they seem less believable and more of a lax narrative device. But these flaws are easily forgiven in the face of the complex and powerful story he's telling, which is both political and emotional, as we're left with the question: does Dr. Miranda deserve punishment for his actions, or was he simply a tiny part of a horrific system? And what exactly should constitute revenge?[/size].

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