Closet Land Review
Closet Land (1991)
Director: Radha Bharadwaj
Stars: Madeleine Stowe, Alan Rickman
Genre: Drama | Psychological thriller| Political | Sci-fi/Dystopian
Rated: R
Rating: 5/5 stars
The highly acclaimed theatrical Closet Land, imaginatively produced on a modest of $2.5 million, addresses the horror of political torture. It'a a harrowing, focused two-character piece by first-time director Radha Bharadwaj.
Indian-born, American-educated Radha Bharadwaj breaks through as one of the most epic and consequentially truest story tellers of her time as made true by her debut piece Closet Land, in which her allegorical thriller was based on the work of her husband at Amnesty International and of which the script when it was first written in 1989 became an instant winning submission to the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting program, run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though this 1991 feature film is classified as a psychological thriller, and does act as an independent production directed by an unknown director (at the time, that is to say) and only stars two actors (whom I must say to the fullest truth, deliver remarkably strong performances), don't be fooled by such act of judjement into thinking that this film is another one of your typical low B-grade psychological thrillers with choppy storytelling and bad acting--Closet Land is an absolute must-see, no doubt, and is probably one of the very few films existing today that remains as such a powerful and alive classic because its standards go beyond that of ordinary storytelling in that so very few films nowadays are successful in achieving.
There is a terrible intimacy about Closet Land, where something akin to desire defies the relationship between a children's book writer and the secret policeman determined to break this woman's will. Passionately acted by Madeleine Stowe, who first debuted in Steakout and is probably most recognized for her appearance in The Last of the Mohicans, and British actor Alan Rickman, best known by American audiences for his villainy role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and his highly acclaimed performance as the shadowed anti-hero in the adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter series, the magisterial potions master Professor Severus Snape, this disquieting thriller virtually draws audiences into an unspecified utopian/dystopian universe paralleled between life and death, imprisonment and freedom, will and power, dream and nightmare--a universe somewhat similar to that of George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Ray Bradbury's futuristic 1950 classic Fahrenheit 451, or Lois Lowry's 1994 young adult book The Giver.
Ostensibly a study of conflict between artistic freedom and state intolerance, one cannot argue that Closet Land is a distaff Nineteen Eighty-Four, an intricate work that connects domestic violence with political abuse. Set in the backdrop of an unspecified country, an unnamed protagonist of the story, credited as The Author, or The Victim, or The Woman (Stowe), vulnerable in her white cotton nightgown, is taken from her home in the middle of the night against her will, and held imprisoned by the government, accused by a fully dressed authoritarian, credited as The Interrogator or The Man (Rickman), of embedding anarchistic messages into her books, pointed directly towards naive child readers, particularly her incomplete manuscript of a story entitled Closet Land, a fanciful tale of flying cows, cats with green wings, and cheerful roosters, simple content that is ironically questioned and deemed as subversive, says The Interrogator, who sees the work as an encouragement and introduction of anarchism among its audience of innocent children. Unwilling to induce forced torture upon her, he offers to set The Victim free on one condition: if she is to sign a confession--a pack of lies.
''My stories are cheerful pieces of fluff with no more depth than cotton candy,'' says The Victim, who insists there must be some mistake for her arrest and interrogation. The Interrogator, later shown through as being three characters in one, offers her a chance to leave, but she hesitates and the doors to the Kafkaesque cell slams shut, the gateway to freedom from the claustrophobic ''closet land'' forever blocked.
''Why didn't you leave when you could?'' asks The Interrogator, who blames The Victim for forcing him to torture her in a variety of ways, such as threatening her with a metal bar, injecting a hot-iron rod into her anus and removing her toenails from her feet. And yes, there are a handful of famous torture sequences in movies: Laurence Oliver performing unwanted dental work on Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man, Michael Madsen mutilating the cop in Reservoir Dogs, Mel Gibson seen on the rack at the end of Braveheart, and Natalie Portman being ''put to the question'' in Goya's Ghosts, to name a few.
However, Closet Land is unique because it takes torture as its entire setting, presenting it in a completely different way than any typical R-rated psychological thriller. And to specify the uniqueness of Bharadwaj's flm setting of human torture, the entire film is shot on a single, sparse set in a style that recalls German Expressionism, which there is nothing to divert one's attention from the horrific interrogation, as unremittingly bleak and oppressive, Bharadwaj's film not only assaults the body and emotions, but the senses and the mind.
The most atrocious acts of physical violence, in the fullest and I think most appropriate way of presenting torment, occur off-screen, however, the audible sounds of The Victim's screams and sobs come across as quite ''disturbing'' by itself, even without the full visual of what is really be done to her. Though human torture is the milieu, it is not the theme of the film.
Despite all manner of psychological as well as physical torments, The Victim manages to retain her dignity while The Interrogator negligently falters and while he is stubbornly obstinate in his belief that the author is guilty of hidden propaganda, the audience is more than convinced of The Victim's innocence. As is later revealed mid-way through the second half of the story, the book Closet Land was actually created as a form of escapism, providing a coping mechanism for The Victim, who endured sexual abuse as a child, forced as a ''closet whore'' to her mother's boyfriend.
And by the near end of the film, The Interrogator claims that he was the very man who had sexually abused The Victim in her childhood, but one cannot be entirely sure he was the one who abused her, as the film suggests he was just using the abuse against her as a way of breaking her, however, it is left up to the viewer to decide as to whether Stowe's character had been molested by Rickman's character. Though my personal interpretation is that The Interrogator was not, as I fully believe that The Victim would have recognized the man immediately and as another evidence, the molester is portrayed as an entirely different man according to The Victim's flashbacks, though only shown briefly.
Sexually abused as a child and now imprisoned by the government, The Victim learns to escape into a fantasy realm of magical animal archetype friends, a defense that now enables her to overcome the cruelties of her inquisitor, and the ''closet land'' she has been trapped in once in childhood and now in adulthood.
The subtext of Closet Land, richly mysterious, promises a fascinating denouement between the two characters, but Bharadwaj comes to most banal of conclusions and because she was inspired by her husband's work at Amnesty International, she [unfortunately] allows the politics of the human rights organization to co-opt the story. However, because of this many may see it as such that she has ultimately sacraficed art and its greater truths to the smallest propaganda no matter how worthy her gesture, though I must admit I do not see this piece as even taking steps towards that direction.
This film is an ultimate testament to the talents of one of the two greatest actors alive today, Stowe and Rickman, that they turn this two-person thriller into an indescribable, complex and compelling duet. They manage to overcome not only the off-putting text but the horrid set, a minimalist Gothic affair by Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka.
Stowe's performance as The Victim gives off as a remarkably coercing and strong one as she brings all the winsomeness and purity to her character that she needs in order to survive the struggle of will power and to free her mind from the enclosure of ''closet land''--a consuming role of victim as goddess.
And Rickman comes to deliver one of his finest performances yet as the muti-faceted Interrogator, proving himself to be one of the very few refined legendary actors of British soil and a worthy interpreter of sinister characters. Previously appearing in the stage version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Rickman brings much of le Vicomte to the role of The Interrogator, however, he also manages to create his own original spark to his character's three faces in that I believe no other actor is capable of re-creating as he has made many characters in his long-run career, such as the character of Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriif in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and the highly popular and strangely well-liked cynical potions master Professor Severus Snape of the Harry Potter series. He is ruthless, daper, weak (in mind), and remotely destructive, and there is much tragedy to his villainy that allows a glimpse of a hero who once had dwelt inside his empty shell of many masks.
The performances delivered by both Stowe and Rickman are nothing short of Oscar-worthy.
The lighting, art direction, cinematography, the music, and fact that the only two characters are nameless all underscore the fact that Closet Land is an allegory for oppression anywhere. This is a remarkably though rather ''unpleasant'' film to endure, which is set as a prominent point, especially those who are survivors of POW camps or sexual abuse--the filmmakers harrowingly communicate that all oppression and torture--whether it be mental, physical, or emotional--are horrific.
The ambigous ending is left as largely inconclusive as the audience never truly learns of what really happens to The Victim as she tears the confession sheet in front of The Interrogator (who looks far more broken than she does since the beginning of the film and one has to wonder who truly was the victim of the interrogation, and who truly was the one who was broken by the torture) and is carried away in handcuffs, and in her mind's eye The Victim is liberated from ''closet land'' and strides towards an emitting light, embracing its warmth fully.
Though many may find the ending as too much of a cliff-hanger (is she liberated or is she executed?), I found the ending to be quite appropriate, to my own personal beliefs, especially for a story like this where everything is parallel to one another--black to white, dark to light, death to life--and that is freely allows the audience to decide for themselves whether The Victim lives or dies, is freed or imprisoned for life in what we may call as ''closet land''.
The adience is allowed to decide for themselves whether The Interrogator really is the same man who sexually abused The Victim as a young girl. The audience is free to interpret the universe the whole scenario of the story was set. It is also left up to the audience to decide whether Stowe's character has in fact run afoul of the government--or, alternatively, The Interrogator is acting alone, or perhaps she is not at all a political prisoner held captive by a government official, but really is a patient being treated by a doctor in a mental asylum. Whatever path our imaginations take us, we are left to interpret anything out of our own freedom, and that's the exact route Bharadwaj has taken with her notably crafted screenplay and her exceptionally well-drawn directing.
Closet Land is a thought provoking, yet painful, and as some may claim disturbing, and ultimately rewarding (or unrewarding, as appropriate) nightmare of a lesson movie and leaves many to wonder if retreating into one's mind is escape or defeat. This is one film that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll, and as I have stated before, many films fail to deliver such depth as Closet Land terminally does.
Closet Land is rated R for violence, sexuality and partial nudity.
Thank you to the Official Closet Land Facebook for sharing this on their page.
Note (22 Oct. 2016): A new and improved essay, upon revisiting the film, can be found on here and my DeviantArt.
© 2009 J.D. Night Ghobhadi
All rights reserved.
Director: Radha Bharadwaj
Stars: Madeleine Stowe, Alan Rickman
Genre: Drama | Psychological thriller| Political | Sci-fi/Dystopian
Rated: R
Rating: 5/5 stars
The highly acclaimed theatrical Closet Land, imaginatively produced on a modest of $2.5 million, addresses the horror of political torture. It'a a harrowing, focused two-character piece by first-time director Radha Bharadwaj.
Indian-born, American-educated Radha Bharadwaj breaks through as one of the most epic and consequentially truest story tellers of her time as made true by her debut piece Closet Land, in which her allegorical thriller was based on the work of her husband at Amnesty International and of which the script when it was first written in 1989 became an instant winning submission to the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting program, run by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Though this 1991 feature film is classified as a psychological thriller, and does act as an independent production directed by an unknown director (at the time, that is to say) and only stars two actors (whom I must say to the fullest truth, deliver remarkably strong performances), don't be fooled by such act of judjement into thinking that this film is another one of your typical low B-grade psychological thrillers with choppy storytelling and bad acting--Closet Land is an absolute must-see, no doubt, and is probably one of the very few films existing today that remains as such a powerful and alive classic because its standards go beyond that of ordinary storytelling in that so very few films nowadays are successful in achieving.
There is a terrible intimacy about Closet Land, where something akin to desire defies the relationship between a children's book writer and the secret policeman determined to break this woman's will. Passionately acted by Madeleine Stowe, who first debuted in Steakout and is probably most recognized for her appearance in The Last of the Mohicans, and British actor Alan Rickman, best known by American audiences for his villainy role as Hans Gruber in Die Hard and his highly acclaimed performance as the shadowed anti-hero in the adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved Harry Potter series, the magisterial potions master Professor Severus Snape, this disquieting thriller virtually draws audiences into an unspecified utopian/dystopian universe paralleled between life and death, imprisonment and freedom, will and power, dream and nightmare--a universe somewhat similar to that of George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, or Ray Bradbury's futuristic 1950 classic Fahrenheit 451, or Lois Lowry's 1994 young adult book The Giver.
Ostensibly a study of conflict between artistic freedom and state intolerance, one cannot argue that Closet Land is a distaff Nineteen Eighty-Four, an intricate work that connects domestic violence with political abuse. Set in the backdrop of an unspecified country, an unnamed protagonist of the story, credited as The Author, or The Victim, or The Woman (Stowe), vulnerable in her white cotton nightgown, is taken from her home in the middle of the night against her will, and held imprisoned by the government, accused by a fully dressed authoritarian, credited as The Interrogator or The Man (Rickman), of embedding anarchistic messages into her books, pointed directly towards naive child readers, particularly her incomplete manuscript of a story entitled Closet Land, a fanciful tale of flying cows, cats with green wings, and cheerful roosters, simple content that is ironically questioned and deemed as subversive, says The Interrogator, who sees the work as an encouragement and introduction of anarchism among its audience of innocent children. Unwilling to induce forced torture upon her, he offers to set The Victim free on one condition: if she is to sign a confession--a pack of lies.
''My stories are cheerful pieces of fluff with no more depth than cotton candy,'' says The Victim, who insists there must be some mistake for her arrest and interrogation. The Interrogator, later shown through as being three characters in one, offers her a chance to leave, but she hesitates and the doors to the Kafkaesque cell slams shut, the gateway to freedom from the claustrophobic ''closet land'' forever blocked.
''Why didn't you leave when you could?'' asks The Interrogator, who blames The Victim for forcing him to torture her in a variety of ways, such as threatening her with a metal bar, injecting a hot-iron rod into her anus and removing her toenails from her feet. And yes, there are a handful of famous torture sequences in movies: Laurence Oliver performing unwanted dental work on Dustin Hoffman in Marathon Man, Michael Madsen mutilating the cop in Reservoir Dogs, Mel Gibson seen on the rack at the end of Braveheart, and Natalie Portman being ''put to the question'' in Goya's Ghosts, to name a few.
However, Closet Land is unique because it takes torture as its entire setting, presenting it in a completely different way than any typical R-rated psychological thriller. And to specify the uniqueness of Bharadwaj's flm setting of human torture, the entire film is shot on a single, sparse set in a style that recalls German Expressionism, which there is nothing to divert one's attention from the horrific interrogation, as unremittingly bleak and oppressive, Bharadwaj's film not only assaults the body and emotions, but the senses and the mind.
The most atrocious acts of physical violence, in the fullest and I think most appropriate way of presenting torment, occur off-screen, however, the audible sounds of The Victim's screams and sobs come across as quite ''disturbing'' by itself, even without the full visual of what is really be done to her. Though human torture is the milieu, it is not the theme of the film.
Despite all manner of psychological as well as physical torments, The Victim manages to retain her dignity while The Interrogator negligently falters and while he is stubbornly obstinate in his belief that the author is guilty of hidden propaganda, the audience is more than convinced of The Victim's innocence. As is later revealed mid-way through the second half of the story, the book Closet Land was actually created as a form of escapism, providing a coping mechanism for The Victim, who endured sexual abuse as a child, forced as a ''closet whore'' to her mother's boyfriend.
And by the near end of the film, The Interrogator claims that he was the very man who had sexually abused The Victim in her childhood, but one cannot be entirely sure he was the one who abused her, as the film suggests he was just using the abuse against her as a way of breaking her, however, it is left up to the viewer to decide as to whether Stowe's character had been molested by Rickman's character. Though my personal interpretation is that The Interrogator was not, as I fully believe that The Victim would have recognized the man immediately and as another evidence, the molester is portrayed as an entirely different man according to The Victim's flashbacks, though only shown briefly.
Sexually abused as a child and now imprisoned by the government, The Victim learns to escape into a fantasy realm of magical animal archetype friends, a defense that now enables her to overcome the cruelties of her inquisitor, and the ''closet land'' she has been trapped in once in childhood and now in adulthood.
The subtext of Closet Land, richly mysterious, promises a fascinating denouement between the two characters, but Bharadwaj comes to most banal of conclusions and because she was inspired by her husband's work at Amnesty International, she [unfortunately] allows the politics of the human rights organization to co-opt the story. However, because of this many may see it as such that she has ultimately sacraficed art and its greater truths to the smallest propaganda no matter how worthy her gesture, though I must admit I do not see this piece as even taking steps towards that direction.
This film is an ultimate testament to the talents of one of the two greatest actors alive today, Stowe and Rickman, that they turn this two-person thriller into an indescribable, complex and compelling duet. They manage to overcome not only the off-putting text but the horrid set, a minimalist Gothic affair by Japanese designer Eiko Ishioka.
Stowe's performance as The Victim gives off as a remarkably coercing and strong one as she brings all the winsomeness and purity to her character that she needs in order to survive the struggle of will power and to free her mind from the enclosure of ''closet land''--a consuming role of victim as goddess.
And Rickman comes to deliver one of his finest performances yet as the muti-faceted Interrogator, proving himself to be one of the very few refined legendary actors of British soil and a worthy interpreter of sinister characters. Previously appearing in the stage version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Rickman brings much of le Vicomte to the role of The Interrogator, however, he also manages to create his own original spark to his character's three faces in that I believe no other actor is capable of re-creating as he has made many characters in his long-run career, such as the character of Hans Gruber in Die Hard, the Sheriif in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and the highly popular and strangely well-liked cynical potions master Professor Severus Snape of the Harry Potter series. He is ruthless, daper, weak (in mind), and remotely destructive, and there is much tragedy to his villainy that allows a glimpse of a hero who once had dwelt inside his empty shell of many masks.
The performances delivered by both Stowe and Rickman are nothing short of Oscar-worthy.
The lighting, art direction, cinematography, the music, and fact that the only two characters are nameless all underscore the fact that Closet Land is an allegory for oppression anywhere. This is a remarkably though rather ''unpleasant'' film to endure, which is set as a prominent point, especially those who are survivors of POW camps or sexual abuse--the filmmakers harrowingly communicate that all oppression and torture--whether it be mental, physical, or emotional--are horrific.
The ambigous ending is left as largely inconclusive as the audience never truly learns of what really happens to The Victim as she tears the confession sheet in front of The Interrogator (who looks far more broken than she does since the beginning of the film and one has to wonder who truly was the victim of the interrogation, and who truly was the one who was broken by the torture) and is carried away in handcuffs, and in her mind's eye The Victim is liberated from ''closet land'' and strides towards an emitting light, embracing its warmth fully.
Though many may find the ending as too much of a cliff-hanger (is she liberated or is she executed?), I found the ending to be quite appropriate, to my own personal beliefs, especially for a story like this where everything is parallel to one another--black to white, dark to light, death to life--and that is freely allows the audience to decide for themselves whether The Victim lives or dies, is freed or imprisoned for life in what we may call as ''closet land''.
The adience is allowed to decide for themselves whether The Interrogator really is the same man who sexually abused The Victim as a young girl. The audience is free to interpret the universe the whole scenario of the story was set. It is also left up to the audience to decide whether Stowe's character has in fact run afoul of the government--or, alternatively, The Interrogator is acting alone, or perhaps she is not at all a political prisoner held captive by a government official, but really is a patient being treated by a doctor in a mental asylum. Whatever path our imaginations take us, we are left to interpret anything out of our own freedom, and that's the exact route Bharadwaj has taken with her notably crafted screenplay and her exceptionally well-drawn directing.
Closet Land is a thought provoking, yet painful, and as some may claim disturbing, and ultimately rewarding (or unrewarding, as appropriate) nightmare of a lesson movie and leaves many to wonder if retreating into one's mind is escape or defeat. This is one film that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll, and as I have stated before, many films fail to deliver such depth as Closet Land terminally does.
Closet Land is rated R for violence, sexuality and partial nudity.
Thank you to the Official Closet Land Facebook for sharing this on their page.
Note (22 Oct. 2016): A new and improved essay, upon revisiting the film, can be found on here and my DeviantArt.
© 2009 J.D. Night Ghobhadi
All rights reserved.