MaîtresseIf you haven’t already seen it, chances are you may have heard of Barbet Schroeder’s twisted love story swamped in sadomasochism via online cinematic lists and articles aimed at transgressive cinema.

It’s often placed in the same group as those other 70’s New European works like Salò Or 120 Days Of Sodom and Last Tango In Paris – films which pushed the boundaries with their taboo subject matter and explicit content. Put aside the graphic scenes on display here (which admittedly, isn’t an easy thing to do) and what separates Maîtresse from the others is the oddly touching central relationship which emerges, and the sometimes uncomfortable jet black humour which is inherent in the film’s bizarre milieu.

A pre-grizzled 28-year-old Gérard Depardieu is Olivier, a husky thief who, alongside a criminal associate, break into the lavish flat of a woman they believe to be away. Riffling through her personal belongings, they discover an overabundance of leather outfits and fetishist contraptions before being alarmed by the woman herself. While his fellow robber flees, Oliver is strangely drawn to Ariane (Babet’s wife, Bulle Ogier) the professional dominatrix whose residence he has entered, and there’s a palpable, almost instantaneous sexual spark between them.

Embarking on an emotionally dependent (and volatile) relationship, Olivier begin to assistant Ariane in her day-to-day ‘chores’ of dealing with her clients, and he’s schooled in the means of eliciting submissiveness and torture for sexual gratification.

As you’ve probably gathered, Maîtresse isn’t a film for the faint-hearted. The scenes of sadomasochistic activities are unflinching in their unfussy, matter-of-factly presented style. The welts left by whips and straps are very real, as is the arousal of those being subjected to those acts. This makes for an unconformable and unsettling experience, and must have been the main cause for UK censors to sit on the film for a while (no pun intended) before finally releasing it with a number of caveats.

One scene of a real and unsimulated act of genital mutilation is incredibly hard to sit through, and the general sadism on display would make even the Marquis de Sade recoil in horror. Ariane appears happy to acquiesce to any desires of her clients, however perverse. Her specialist occupation does begin to take a psychological toll on her however, especially during one scene where the tight corset she’s required to don, causes suffocation (and more ways than one) and almost sends her over the edge. Olivier’s calming influence finally brings her back to her senses, however.

A very recognisable European sensibility runs throughout, from the striking art direction (Ariane’s weirdly retro-futuristic /art deco apartment, complete with decorative trap door to her torture chamber) to Schroeder’s measured, po-faced handling of the material. With the exception of a brief, highly upsetting scene in an equestrian slaughter-house, the director isn’t actually out to sensationalise and is more intent in probing society’s suppressed emotions and dormant sexual urges.

Schroeder would later leave his position as European provocateur to find some success in mainstream Hollywood (his most recent work was an episode of Man Men), but Maîtresse will be the film with which he’ll be remembered by, and rightly so. Almost 40 years since its initial release it remains a powerful and shocking cinematic tale, and in this jaded, seen-it-all age, that’s quite a feat.

[Rating:4/5]

Special features

A 30 minute documentary (Domestic Masochism) offers an enlightening retrospective of the film, where theorists and writers offer various contextual readings.

There’s also a trailer section of three films from Barbet’s pre-Hollywood days.

[Rating:3/5]