Mar 31, 2009

The Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation (Ana Kokkinos, 2006, Australia)

I had The Book of Revelation in my Netflix Queue for months and it finally arrived over the weekend. It's an Aussie flick starring Tom Long as Daniel, a dancer with a girlfriend (Anna Torv from TV's Fringe) and overprotective chreographer (Greta Scacchi). Daniel goes missing for twelve days. When he returns, he won't tell anyone where he's been. Now out of a job, he wanders the city, looking for answers.

Many men would glady pay for what happened to Daniel (as the head woman -- also played by Anna Torv -- points out). He was kidnapped by a trio of young ladies who remain hooded the entire time he's chained up in a warehouse. They manually stimulate him, fellate him, and fuck him, using him solely for their pleasure. As Daniel's abduction isn't consentual, it's a bit horrific but I couldn't help but think, "Gosh, I wish that was me."

Tom Long has an interesting look about him. At times he reminded me of Paul Mercurio from Strictly Ballroom while, at others, he looked a bit like Nick Cave. From the neck down, however, he's gorgeous. Watching the muscles ripple under his skin is half the fun of this fun. Meanwhile, I'm still on the fence about Anna Torv. Normally, I don't find her that attractive but she looks pretty good in The Book of Revelation. As mentioned above, Torv also plays one of his tormentors but the audience isn't supposed to notice that or try to infer anything about this, according to director Ana Kokkinos. That seems like a scenario begging to be explored.

I love that the dancers' routines involve long ropes that hang from the ceiling, already calling bondage to mind. Add to that that their practice room looks like it was decorated by the same guys that tortured Debbie Harry in Videodrome and you're in the right frame for this deliciously twisted flick.

The DVD from Netflix is a Hong Kong import wherein a lot of the "naughty bits" such as Daniel's erection and some pubic hair are disconcertingly blurred. The ending is slightly unsatisfying and a few things that may have been "left to the imagination" are merely vague. I plan on picking up the book by Rupert Thomson to see what other wonderful tortures Daniel experienced.

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