Female Perversions

Last updated
Female Perversions
Female Perversions film poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySusan Streitfeld
Screenplay by
Based onFemale Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary
by Louise J. Kaplan
Produced byMindy Affrime
Starring
Cinematography Teresa Medina
Edited by
  • Curtiss Clayton
  • Leo Trombetta
Music by Debbie Wiseman
Production
companies
  • Trans Atlantic Entertainment
  • ARD Degeto Film
  • Starhaus Filmproduktion
Distributed by October Films
Release dates
  • 22 January 1996 (1996-01-22)(Sundance)
  • 21 November 1996 (1996-11-21)(Germany)
  • 25 April 1997 (1997-04-25)(United States)
Running time
120 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Germany
LanguageEnglish
Box office$926,954 [1]

Female Perversions is a 1996 erotic drama film directed by Susan Streitfeld (in her feature directorial debut), based on the 1991 book Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary by American psychoanalyst Louise J. Kaplan. It stars Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas, Frances Fisher, Laila Robins, Paulina Porizkova, and Clancy Brown. Aspects of female psychology, particularly the more morbid, are explored through the interactions of the characters and their fantasies.

Contents

Plot

Eve Stephens, a Los Angeles trial attorney, is almost at the peak of her career: being appointed as a judge. Her private life is less successful. Beneath her cool exterior, Eve is filled with self-doubt and struggles to find satisfaction while conforming to society's expectations of her as a woman. She is troubled by erotic nightmares and flashbacks to the lives of her parents, centering on her unfeeling father and the suspicious death of her mother, Beth. Although she has occasional intense sex – initially with a male geologist called John, later with a female psychiatrist, Renee – the relationships lack warmth or commitment on her part. She also feels threatened by Langley Flynn, a younger woman being lined up to replace her as an attorney.

Eve's professional and personal lives start to unravel when her intelligent but disturbed sister Maddie, a doctoral student whom Eve believes to be a kleptomaniac, is arrested for repeated shoplifting. After Eve bails her out, Maddie steals the "lucky suit" that Eve planned to wear to her interview with the California Governor about her potential judgeship. During the interview, Eve's anger toward Maddie manifests itself when she tells the Governor that she has no time for family. Feeling disadvantaged as a candidate by her status as an unmarried woman, Eve fears that this admission will cost her the appointment, and subsequently flies into a rage. The two sisters begin to recognize the malignant influence of their parents on their lives and the unsatisfactory responses they unconsciously adopted, one seeking compensation by stealing and the other by sex.

In the end, the Governor approves Eve's appointment. Later, Eve comes to the aid of Maddie's neighbor Edwina ("Ed"), a tomboyish 13‑year‑old who uses self‑harm to cope with the struggles of puberty. As Ed prepares to attempt suicide by jumping off a cliff, Eve runs up behind her and pulls her back from the edge. The last shot is of Ed's face pressed into Eve's lap.

Cast

Reception

The film was rated 3.5 out of 4 stars by Roger Ebert, [2] 4 out of 5 stars by The Austin Chronicle [3] and 3 out of 5 stars by Empire magazine. [4] Entertainment Weekly gave it a C grade. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Cho</span> American comedian and actress (born 1968)

Margaret Moran Cho is an American stand-up comedian, actress, musician and activist. She is known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially regarding race and sexuality. She rose to prominence after starring in the ABC sitcom All-American Girl (1994–95), and became an established stand-up comic in the subsequent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laila Ali</span> American boxer (born 1977)

Laila Amaria Ali is an American television personality and retired professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2007. During her career, from which she retired undefeated, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles, and the IWBF light heavyweight title. Ali is widely regarded by many within the sport as one of the greatest female professional boxers of all time. She is the daughter of boxer Muhammad Ali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilda Swinton</span> British actress

Katherine Matilda Swinton is a British actress. She is known for playing eccentric and enigmatic characters, often working with auteur directors. Over her career she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paulina Porizkova</span> Czech-born fashion model and author (born 1965)

Paulina Porizkova is an author and former fashion model. Born in Czechoslovakia, she relocated to Sweden in 1973 and began modelling in France at age 15. In 1984, Porizkova became the first Central European woman to appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Madigan</span> American actress

Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 1985 film Twice in a Lifetime. Her other film credits include Love Child (1982), Places in the Heart (1984), Field of Dreams (1989), Uncle Buck (1989), The Dark Half (1993), Pollock (2000), and Gone Baby Gone (2007).

<i>Threesome</i> (1994 film) 1994 film by Andrew Fleming

Threesome is a 1994 American erotic dramedy film, written and directed by Andrew Fleming and starring Lara Flynn Boyle, Stephen Baldwin and Josh Charles. It is an autobiographical comedy mixed with social commentary, and is based on Fleming's college memories. The film was given an R rating by the Motion Picture Association of America.

<i>Single White Female</i> 1992 film directed by Barbet Schroeder

Single White Female is a 1992 American psychological erotic thriller film based on John Lutz's 1990 novel SWF Seeks Same. It stars Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh and was directed by Barbet Schroeder. It follows recently estranged Allison Jones (Fonda), who begins to rent an apartment room to Hedra Carlson (Leigh). After she reconciles with her ex-boyfriend, she begins to find strange patterns of behavior in her tenant.

<i>Damage</i> (1992 film) Film by Louis Malle

Damage is a 1992 romantic psychological drama film directed and produced by Louis Malle and starring Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Rupert Graves, and Ian Bannen. Adapted by David Hare from the 1991 novel Damage by Josephine Hart, the film is about a British politician (Irons) who has a sexual relationship with his son's fiancée and becomes increasingly obsessed with her. Richardson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as the aggrieved wife of the film's main character.

<i>Winter Passing</i> 2005 American film

Winter Passing is a 2005 American comedy-drama film directed by playwright Adam Rapp and starring Ed Harris, Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, Amelia Warner, Amy Madigan, and Dallas Roberts. Rapp's directorial debut, the film premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival to mixed reviews and received a limited theatrical release in February 2006. The film was not released in the United Kingdom until 2013, when it was released under the new title Happy Endings.

<i>Michael Clayton</i> 2007 film directed by Tony Gilroy

Michael Clayton is a 2007 American legal thriller film written and directed by Tony Gilroy in his feature directorial debut and starring George Clooney as lawyer Michael Clayton, who discovers a coverup by one of his firm's clients. Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, and Sydney Pollack appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dakota Johnson</span> American actress (born 1989)

Dakota Mayi Johnson is an American actress. The daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Johnson made her film debut at age ten with a minor role in Crazy in Alabama (1999), directed by her then-stepfather Antonio Banderas, and also starring her mother. After graduating from high school, she began auditioning for roles in Los Angeles and was cast in a minor part in The Social Network (2010). Johnson had her breakthrough playing the lead role of Anastasia Steele in the erotic Fifty Shades film series (2015–2018). In 2016, she received a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination and was featured in a Forbes 30 Under 30 list.

<i>Thumbsucker</i> (film) 2005 American film

Thumbsucker is a 2005 American independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Mills in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Lou Taylor Pucci, Tilda Swinton, Vincent D'Onofrio, Kelli Garner, Benjamin Bratt, Vince Vaughn, and Keanu Reeves. The plot focuses on Justin Cobb, a teenager in suburban Oregon, as he copes with his thumb-sucking problem, romance, and his diagnosis with ADHD and subsequent experience using Ritalin. The screenplay was adapted from the 1999 Walter Kirn novel of the same name. Swinton also served as an executive producer.

<i>Stephanie Daley</i> 2006 American film

Stephanie Daley is a 2006 drama film written and directed by Hilary Brougher. The film stars Amber Tamblyn, Melissa Leo, Tilda Swinton and Timothy Hutton. The film, which received a limited release in North America on April 20, 2007, focuses on the issue of teenage pregnancy.

<i>Call Me</i> (film) 1988 erotic thriller film

Call Me is a 1988 American erotic thriller film about a woman who strikes up a relationship with a stranger over the phone, and in the process becomes entangled in a murder. The film was directed by Sollace Mitchell, and stars Patricia Charbonneau, Stephen McHattie, and Boyd Gaines.

<i>La Piscine</i> (film) 1969 French film

La Piscine is a 1969 psychological thriller film directed by Jacques Deray, starring Alain Delon, Romy Schneider, Maurice Ronet, and Jane Birkin.

<i>Only Lovers Left Alive</i> 2013 film by Jim Jarmusch

Only Lovers Left Alive is a 2013 gothic fantasy comedy-drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, Slimane Dazi and John Hurt. An international co-production between the United Kingdom and Germany, the film focuses on the romance between two vampires and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Suspiria</i> (2018 film) Film by Luca Guadagnino

Suspiria is a 2018 epic supernatural horror film directed by Luca Guadagnino from a screenplay by David Kajganich, inspired by Dario Argento's 1977 Italian film of the same name. It stars Dakota Johnson as an American woman who enrolls at a prestigious dance academy in Berlin run by a coven of witches. Tilda Swinton co-stars in three roles, as the company's lead choreographer, as a male psychotherapist involved in the academy, and as the leader of the coven. Mia Goth, Elena Fokina and Chloë Grace Moretz appear in supporting roles as students, while Angela Winkler, Ingrid Caven, Sylvie Testud, Renée Soutendijk and Christine LeBoutte portray some of the academy's matrons. Jessica Harper, star of the original film, has a cameo appearance.

<i>The Kissing Booth 3</i> 2021 film by Vince Marcello

The Kissing Booth 3 is a 2021 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Vince Marcello and written by Marcello and Jay Arnold. The third and final installment in The Kissing Booth trilogy based on Beth Reekles' novel of the same name, the film stars Joey King, Joel Courtney, Jacob Elordi, Taylor Zakhar Perez, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Meganne Young and Molly Ringwald.

<i>The Eternal Daughter</i> 2022 film by Joanna Hogg

The Eternal Daughter is a 2022 Gothic mystery drama film produced, written and directed by Joanna Hogg. It stars Tilda Swinton in a double role, as both a middle-aged filmmaker and her elderly mother who are guests at a mysterious hotel. Joseph Mydell and Carly-Sophia Davies are featured in supporting roles.

During the film awards season in early 2020, costume designer Sandy Powell wore a cream calico toile two-piece suit of her own design, and collected celebrities' autographs on it in permanent marker. The suit was then auctioned to raise funds for the purchase of artist, filmmaker and gay rights activist Derek Jarman's cottage at Dungeness in Kent, England. The suit was bought by Edwina Dunn, who then donated it to the Theatre and Performance Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. In April 2022 the suit featured in an episode of the BBC Two series Secrets of the Museum.

References

  1. ↑ "Female Perversions (1996)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ Review by Roger Ebert, accessed February 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Review by The Austin Chronicle, accessed February 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ Review by Empire, accessed February 15, 2021.
  5. ↑ Review by Entertainment Weekly Archived 2015-11-06 at the Wayback Machine , accessed February 15, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.