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A New, Unfortunate Spin on Female Sexuality

© Rachel Gordon

The exploration of female sexuality in film is often limited to the archetypes of virgin or slut, unless of course the character is married, and even then they don’t necessarily enjoy themselves. Worse yet, when a woman is shown trying methods against stereotype, she is often put into the plot box of learning the error of her ways.

Female Perversions wants not only to bypass this tradition, but throw water in its face and pound its head into the pavement. It’s trying so hard to rebel against society that it loses emotional strength by not concentrating enough on the potential of its eclectic characters. Newcomer Susan Streitford, who has not had much of a career since this directorial debut, does the best she can to photograph a script that doesn’t live up to the grand ideas it strives to convey.

Tilda Swinton (The Deep End) is Eve Stevens, an Everywoman climbing up the legal ladder. The camera is quick to point out that her ascension may be due to her figure instead of her brain, following her curves through the eyes of her peers, instead of what she is saying while performing her job in court. She’s even told by her boss that it’s politically correct to put a woman into the position of judge that is currently open. Her place is classically, sparingly furnished, right out of an Ikea catalog. She has a successful boyfriend, buys the latest cosmetics, and generally seems to get what she wants, whenever she wants.

Eve’s sister Maddie (Amy Madigan, Pollock) is, of course, her polar opposite in her cryptic quest for a doctorate, mixed with, apparently, sexually charged thievery. Her awkwardness would be appropriately sympathetic were it not continually punctuated with extended “thinking” camera angles.

For no conceivable reason, except possibly stress due to the upcoming advancement to judgeship, Eve has strange nightmares and sensory day dreams. She is bound and tugged across a poorly lit stage by a Greek costume during intercourse. Next thing you know, she is faltering along a tightrope being cut by whomever is currently on her mind. A fellow lawyer molests her in her office while telling her she doesn’t deserve the boost. The unfortunately not-so-subtle point is that she has internalized society’s supposedly sexist reaction to her success. But how long can you go on blaming everyone else for the personal issues you must overcome?

Eve’s fantasies get worse as the interview draws close and her sister is arrested. Though tension to prove oneself can increase neurosis, there’s still no reason for her to take a razor to her own skin. There are numerous unmotivated, jarring movements to Eve’s behavior that you almost don’t want her to succeed.

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