Monika Treut & Elfi Mikesch, 1985, West Germany, 86 mins
“A ticket to a masochistic wonderland…”
Wanda (Mechthild Großmann) is a dominatrix who runs an S/M performance space in Hamburg where she stages elaborate sexual rituals for a discerning audience. Cruelty is her profession, but constructing traps for her lovers—including the lovelorn Gregor (Udo Kier), the naive and innocent Justine (Sheila McLaughlin), and the jaded Caren (Carola Regnier)—is her specialty. All know the rules of the game, but not all are willing to play their roles—but the show must go on…
Inspired by the writings of the Baron Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Monika Treut and Elfi Mikesch’s Seduction: The Cruel Woman (Verführung: Die grausame Frau) is a coolly sensual tribute to masochism and obsession in all of its forms, and a seminal work of lesbian cinema.
“Sex may just be a passing fad. The age of tenderness is over. What is being presented: the world of sadomasochistic symbols, the rhythm of suffering, the pleasure of torment.”
- Treut/Mikesch
“This is S/M by Avedon, outfits by Dior.” - Film Comment