THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY World Cinema

Director Peter Strickland returns to AFI FEST (his BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO was an Official Selection in 2012) with this lurid tale of power, sex and the twisted pursuit of happiness. Using a claustrophobic cinematic space, Strickland introduces us to two women whose roles are clearly delineated: master and servant. Cynthia is an amateur butterfly collector, and Evelyn her newly hired housekeeper. But as the women’s intimacy deepens and they become lovers, their relationship takes on a psychosexual dimension and turns into a sadomasochistic cat-and-mouse game of domination and subjugation. Suddenly their roles aren’t so clear anymore – the one being locked in the “punishment box” might just hold all the cards in the relationship.