MovieChat Forums > Bitter Moon (1994) Discussion > Best film ever with BDSM in the plot?

Best film ever with BDSM in the plot?


BDSM is still extremely taboo in mainstream films. The few times it is portrayed is usually as a joke to be ridiculed, or it's put in a completely negative light. Bitter Moon is one of the few movies that actually treats the subject with any kind of maturity or respect. I don't think Mimi or Oscar were either naturally dominant or submissive; to both of them it was just another exciting, kinky adventure that they eventually tired of. But when they were involved, it came across as real and passionate as any other torrid love affair. Oscar does an excellent job in his story of describing the need to worship a woman as far as you can when you're that infatuated with her. I've never seen another movie do it so well.

On a related topic, near the end of the film when Oscar is crippled, Mimi does a lot of humiliating things to him (i.e. bringing home a lover in front of him). Since humiliation is often a part of BDSM, could that have been a subconscious attempt by Mimi to relive the point when their relationship was most passionate? Just a theory.

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I really like Bitter Moon but purely on the subject of SM I think La Pianiste (Michael Haneke) and Secretary (Steven Shainberg) are better movies.

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"Maitresse" by Barbet Schroeder, starring Bulle Olgler and Gerard Depardieu, from 1976, is also a very interesting film about BDSM.

Same year, Nagisha Oshima's "Ai No Corroda" ("In The Realm Of The Senses") is another extraordinary film that looks at related subjects and themes.

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But I heard 'In The Realm of the Senses' is one of the most controversial films ever. How is it different from Bitter Moon?

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For the time it came out (1976), it broke a lot of taboos in regards to what you could show on screen. "Bitter Moon", while incredibly upfront in its depiction of sex and sexuality, was nowhere near as groundbreaking as "Senses" was.

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Well, sounds like 'Senses' is more like a pioneer in films like these. Any other films like that you can suggest? I am not that familiar with films like these but I think I oughta learn more but of course it has to be something with deeper meaning than just soft porn. Maybe 'Senses' is one of them...

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Speaking of controversy...Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter(1974)with amazing Charlotte Rampling and Dirk Bogarde.

A bit of a spoiler here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071910/board/thread/2768376?d=15247097&p=1#15247097

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Yes, The Night Porter was the first movie I thought of when I saw this thread. It may not treat bondage in a positive light, but it's certainly one of the most mature examinations of the psychology of submission/domination in cinema.

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

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Years ago I was thinking: I'd like being Mimi for a while. The film inspired me a lot. And BDSM became a small part in my life. Thanks, Roman. There should be more encouraged writers including BDSM aspects in their stories. Why? Cuz' it's just fun...

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Secretary - far and away. It's not really a movie about BDSM lifestyle but it is about the randomness and uncontrollable nature of sexual attraction and desire. It also beautiful portrays the concepts of domination and submission. He is supposedly the one controlling her, and he controlling her both physically and emotionally. Yet she doesn't realize that she has total control over him because of how much he feels for her and how threatening he finds that feeling. When they both finally just submit to the whole thing, it's beautiful. Truly the best I've ever seen.

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can someone kindly explain what "BDSM" is ? somethings to do with sadomasochism?

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[deleted]

The letters can be used to mean a few different things but usually they mean bondage, domination, sado-masochism. The term is a blanket term for any type of 'sexual' activity that involves powerplay and potentially play with sensation and pain.

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