Gradiva 2009 Horror Movie Review

A highly erotic, gothic mystery, in the style of Hitchcock’s “Vertigo”, from Alain Robbe-Grillet, writer of the Oscar-nominated “Last Year At Marienbad” and director of the notorious “Trans-Europ Express”.
An English historian living in Morocco is searching for some mythical lost paintings. His quest leads him into the ancient Arabic quarter of the city. There he sees a beautiful blonde woman in a white veil. He becomes obsessed with finding her, but discovers that she may already be dead.

His Moroccan mistress, Belkis, appears to be encouraging his obsessions, but it soon transpires that she may be trapping him in a dark and dangerous labyrinth of desire, from which death may be the only escape.

This was the last work from the acclaimed and award winning filmmaker and is an exotic, erotic mystery story which deals with some of the most profound issues of the human heart. Packed with controversial and astonishing imagery, it’s an intriguing and complex work of art that is a fitting tribute to a master of world cinema.