This is probably not one of the better known American films but it has a good claim to being one of the most controversial and hated. It was given an X rating and by the end of the film, you can certainly see how it earned it. I have some issues with the story being framed as a police investigation which I feel is misleading. But it is extremely powerful as a portrayal of a codependent relationship between a beautiful, neurotic woman who refuses to be pinned and a man who is obsessed with completely owning her.
Alex Linden, an American psychoanalyst in Vienna, looks on as doctors and nurses fight to save the life of a young American woman Milena Flaherty after an apparent suicide attempt. As he is the one who called for an ambulance, the police led by inspector Netusil question him about the nature of their relationship but he is evasive. A series of disjointed flashbacks reveal that Milena regularly crosses the border between Austria and Czechoslovakia where she is married to a much older man, Stefan. Milena and Alex meet at a party and begin an affair after she aggressively comes onto him. Beautiful, free-spirited and full of life, Milena easily draws Alex into her orbit. As Alex’s obsession with her grows however, he comes to resent her promiscuity and begins stalking her. He gains access to her personal information through his NATO contacts and confronts her about her marriage to Stefan. For her own part, Milena repeatedly declares that she loves Alex yet resists dissolving her marriage to Stefan or making any long-term commitments to Alex.
As this is set during the Cold War and both Milena and her husband in Eastern Europe are seemingly persons of interest to NATO, it’s reasonable to expect that their relationship might be complicated by spy shenanigans. It turns out that not only is this mostly a red herring, but framing this as a police investigation feels forced. Netusil insistently trying to pin down exactly when Alex received the phone call from Milena seems excessive when it’s such a clear case of suicide. The film tries to justify this by having Netusil confess that his own interest is somewhat prurient but it still seems like awkward storytelling to me, especially since Harvey Keitel playing the detective is not at all convincing as being an Austrian. Director Nicolas Roeg’s decision to develop Netusil rather than say, Stefan who remains a mysterious character throughout, is I think not a very interesting one.
The core of this film is still the phenomenal, no holds barred portrayal of the dysfunctional relationship between the two leads. This is practically the perfect textbook lesson of not sticking your dick in crazy because all the warning signs are flashing right from Milena’s first appearance and yet Alex can’t help himself. Alex himself is just as bad, being a psychoanalyst who knows exactly how unstable Milena is but finds her physical beauty and craziness an irresistible combination. Critics and even the director describe this as being about obsessive love but I think it’s as much lust as love. It’s dirty, degrading sex shorn of romance or sentiment. This film stops short of showing explicit sex but not very far short. Alex’s actions at the end are reprehensible and unforgiveable and to call it love would be a perversion. It’s not hard to understand that he seeks to assert complete ownership of Milena and that includes the primal masculine drive to own her body.
It’s a terrifying bold statement to make and as many have pointed out, shines a spotlight on some of the ugliest parts of human relationships. I also really enjoyed the general look of the film, its color grading and texture and even setting even if the Cold War backdrop turned out to be a misdirection. It remains true that its storytelling is awkward and when you boil it down to the essentials, this is not that psychologically sophisticated. It might fall some way short of true greatness but I’d say this is a film that surely deserves more attention and acclaim.