The Duke of Burgundy

Screening on 6/30 introduced by series curator Kyle Turner.

Dir. Peter Strickland. United Kingdom. 2014, 104 mins. With Sidse Babet Knudsen, Monica Swinn, Chiara D’Anna). Though lepidopterologist Cynthia (Sidse Babett Knudsen) appears to be in control of her relationship with Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna), making the latter serve as maid and servant and subject to discipline should her tasks not be done satisfactorily, the older dom really is at the whims of her younger sub. Unpredictable British genre filmmaker Strickland, through the use of hypnotic imagery and a tsunami of phantasmagoric sound design, finds the idiosyncrasy of the duo’s relationship as well as its very human core: Cynthia and Evelyn both want to be seen, wanted, consumed. The inclusion of Strickland’s power play fairy-tale The Duke of Burgundy in the “top” section of this series is emblematic of the way the film revels in contradictions. It’s a movie suffused with eroticism and decadence, pulsating desire and fraught yearning, and it’s a movie about… a top who really wants to be more of a bottom.

Tickets: $15 / $11 senior and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / discounted for MoMI members ($7–$11). Order tickets. Please pick up tickets at the Museum’s admissions desk upon arrival. All seating is general admission. Review safety protocols before your visit.