Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
A passenger on a cruise ship develops an irresistible infatuation with an eccentric paraplegic's wife.
Polanski's twisted erotic psychodrama is a genuinely singular piece of filmmaking — a darkly comic, deeply perverse dissection of obsession, sadomasochism, and desire told through an extended unreliable confession. The nested narrative structure and tonal audacity (oscillating between grotesque black comedy and genuine menace) make it unlike almost anything else in its era. The ending delivers a shocking, operatic finality that feels both earned and disturbing. Acting is uneven — Coyote and Seigner are committed but theatrical, Grant is serviceable, and the performances vary in register. Cinematography is competent and serviceable rather than distinctive. The plot is provocative but sometimes indulgent in its episodic structure. Overall a memorably strange, polarizing work that rewards the adventurous viewer.