Taking its title from a rare species of butterfly, The Duke of Burgundy by director Peter Strickland is another excursion into the dark realms of human behaviour.
The film chronicles an intimate relationship between wealthy amateur lepidopterist Cynthia and her newly hired housekeeper, Evelyn. As Cynthia's demands begin to betray a sadomasochistic streak, Evelyn becomes less a domestic servant than an outright sex slave, submitting to her progressively extreme humiliations. By turns kinky, dryly comic, and compellingly surreal, and boasting gorgeous, gothic cinematography and an enveloping soundscape, the film is a richly immersive sensory experience.
»After damaging my eardrums with too many screams during the Berberian sound mix, I wanted to make something tender and quiet, but also quite intense. It's a simple love story about a devoted couple whose intimate needs are rarely in harmony.« (Peter Strickland)
Peter Strickland
Born in 1973 in Reading, UK. In 1992 he adapted Kafka’s Metamorphosis for an amateur theatre group and has since made numerous short films. In 1996, Strickland and some friends founded an art project, The Sonic Catering Band, which found expression in body pop, sound poetry and other entomological-acoustic excursions. His debut feature, Katalin Varga, received the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin FF.
filmography
1992 Rising Within the Realms of Sleep (short)
1993 Between God and Inspiration Lie Heaven and Hell (short)
1994 Relapse (short)
1994 Fallout (short)
1996 Bubblegum (short)
2004 A Metaphysical Education (short)
2009 Katalin Varga
2012 Berberian Sound Studio (Kriki groze v zvočnem studiu)
2014 Björk: Biophilia Live (documentary)
2014 The Duke of Burgundy (Burgundski vojvoda)