CALVAIRE, aka THE ORDEAL, is a French film whose sole emphasis is on the brutal treatment suffered by the protagonist at the hands of various countryside-dwelling oddballs, the French equivalent of rednecks. It's a story of oppression and degradation that just so happens to be one of the most unpleasant films I've seen in a long time; not because it's particularly graphic, because it isn't, but because it just dwells on miserable, unpleasant characters doing even more miserable things.
Be warned, this is a film that sets out to shock, and gets away with it by hiding under an 'arthouse' tag. Bestiality and male rape play a strong part, along with the exploitation of mental illness and the total subjugation of the human spirit. There are touches of mystery and intrigue in the first half, but the plot less second half piles on the misery and becomes gruelling for all the wrong reasons. There is no ending.
The two most interesting things about CALVAIRE are a cameo role for French scream queen Brigitte Lahaie (starlet of many a Jean Rollin film, back in the day) and a surreal sequence in which bar patrons dance to a piece of appalling piano music. Other than that, it's a total dud.
Be warned, this is a film that sets out to shock, and gets away with it by hiding under an 'arthouse' tag. Bestiality and male rape play a strong part, along with the exploitation of mental illness and the total subjugation of the human spirit. There are touches of mystery and intrigue in the first half, but the plot less second half piles on the misery and becomes gruelling for all the wrong reasons. There is no ending.
The two most interesting things about CALVAIRE are a cameo role for French scream queen Brigitte Lahaie (starlet of many a Jean Rollin film, back in the day) and a surreal sequence in which bar patrons dance to a piece of appalling piano music. Other than that, it's a total dud.