Duffer (1972)

Duffer: Directed by Joseph Despins, William Dumaresq. With Kit Gleave, Erna May, William Dumaresq, Lisa Doran. An intense and bizarre study of obsession that is by turns lyrical and disconcerting, Duffer tells the deranged story of a teenage boy torn between the womanly charms of a kindly prostitute, and the relentless, sadistic attentions of an older man.

“There is no denying that this is both well made and intense but like David Lynchu0026#39;s Eraserhead that doesnu0026#39;t make it any easier to watch. Episodes of intense homoerotic masochism with u0026#39;victimu0026#39; voiceover do not make for cheery viewing especially when as well done as this. Dufferu0026#39;s time spent with an older sadistic male is interspersed with time spent with a jolly prostitute who provides him with more traditional pleasures and trips to the riverside by Hammersmith Bridge. One bright spot is that our extremely damaged young man also takes trips to the riverside at Richmond and for those that know the area this was very early 1970 and well before tourists found the area. The grey deserted riverscape and towpath looks stunning and the side streets amazingly raw and ultimately ready for redevelopment. Almost unrecognisable to the casual viewer, the Richmond riverside of my youth is brought back as one bright spot in a very difficult film, the thematic origins of which I really would not like to know.”