The Ceremony

A cool, intimate portrait of ritualized power and desire, watched with the hush of a private ceremony.

Directed by

Lina Mannheimer

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Catherine Robbe-Grillet, Beverly Charpentier, Dominique Corringer

Overview

In an extravagant house in Paris, people gather for sexual ceremonies in luxurious environments. The 83-year-old author, Catherine Robbe-Grillet is the brains and heart behind the erotic role playing. She is the dominatrix who controls what goes on and her partner, who is 31 years her junior, has promised to submit to her smallest command. Lina Mannheimer portrays a puzzling, intellectual and deeply fascinating woman who, accompanied by her husband Alain Robbe-Grillet, has dedicated herself to investigating sex both in life and in literature. The sadomasochistic ceremonies are presented with an intense presence and cinematic focus in this beautiful and thought-provoking debut film about desire, power and silk scarves.

How it feels

Eerie, tense, melancholic and romantic. Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Power, obsession, identity, sexuality

Content

Strong sexual content. Mild violence and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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