Closet Land - DaaVeeDee

Closet Land (DVD) (*)

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Screened, competed or awarded at:
San Sebastian International Film Festival

Language Selections:
English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Dolby Digital 2.0 )
Spanish ( Subtitles )

Product Origin/Format:
Spain ( PAL/Region 2 )

Running Time:
93 min

Aspect Ratio:
Fullscreen

Special Features:
Filmographies
Interactive Menu
Scene Access
Trailer(s)

Movie filmed in 1991 and produced in:
United States ( USA, Canada )

Directed By:
Radha Bharadwaj

Written By:
Radha Bharadwaj (written by)

Actors:
Alan Rickman ..... Interrogator
Madeleine Stowe ..... Victim

Synopsis:

There are a handful of famous torture sequences in movies: Laurence Olivier performing unwanted dental work on Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man, Michael Madsen mutilating the cop in Reservoir Dogs, and Mel Gibson on the rack at the end of Braveheart, to name just three. Closet Land is unique because it takes torture as its entire setting. Unremittingly bleak and oppressive, Radha Bharadwaj's film assaults the senses and the mind. Shot on a single, sparse set in a style that recalls German Expressionism, there is nothing to divert one's attention from the horrific interrogation. The most atrocious acts of physical violence occur off-screen, although the screams and sobs that result from them are quite audible. Torture is the milieu, but not the theme of the film. The lighting, art direction, and the fact that the only two characters are nameless all underscore the fact that Closet Land is an allegory for oppression anywhere. This is a remarkably unpleasant film to endure, which is the point - the filmmakers harrowingly communicate that all oppression and torture are horrific. The biggest complaint that can be levied toward the film is that the audience knew this before they entered the theater. The ambiguous ending is similar to Brazil, allowing viewers to decide for themselves if retreating into the mind is escape or defeat.

Set in an unspecified country, Stowe's character is taken from her home in the middle of the night, accused of embedding anarchistic messages into her book, entitled Closet Land. The book is a story about a child who, as a result of bad behavior, has been locked in a closet as punishment. While in there, the child is greeted by a group of childhood ally archetypes who innocently attempt to comfort the scared little girl. The seemingly simple content is questioned by the government, which accuses the author of encouraging and introducing anarchism among its audience of naïve children. While the interrogator is obstinate in his belief that the author is guilty of hidden propaganda, the audience is convinced of the victim's innocence. The audience later learns that the novel was actually created as a form of escapism, providing a coping mechanism for the author, who endured sexual abuse as a child. Near the end of the film, the interrogator claims that he was the man who had sexually abused the author in her childhood. But one cannot be entirely sure he was the one who abused her, as the film suggests he was just using the abuse against her as a way of breaking her down.

A young writer is interrogated by a sadistic secret policeman. She is accused of embedding political messages in her children's stories. The entire movie takes place in one room, with only the two actors. The movie is set in an unidentified, modern police state.

This product was added to our catalog on Thursday 28 June, 2007.

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