La punition (1973)

La punition (1973). 1h 35m

“Knowing the rough outline of the story. Girl meets boy, boy turns out to be a pimp, things get bad, had me expecting a rather tawdry exploitation flick of dubious quality. Imagine my surprise at the wondrous, decadent and almost psychedelic opening – I thought at first I was watching a trailer for something else. No straightforward narrative, this is a french film of the early seventies, and we do hop back and forth just to complicate things further for the viewer but those visuals are wondrous throughout, the score is most imaginative and effective and Karin Schubert is stunning. I have to also mention that the beautiful starlet is naked for much of the film but lest you get mislead, this is not a slice of sexy seventies gallic soft-core. This is much more like the territory of fellow compatriot, Alain Robbe Grillet and forces us to confront the deepest depths of sadomasochism. Whereas, however, he adds some arty look to the proceedings, here Pierre Alain Jolivet simply directs and edits as if we are watching something beautiful and consensual. No arty asides and no concessions. And despite all the horror there are a few scenes that are just so beautifully and powerfully shot that they remain fixed in ones mind.”