The Ceremony

The ceremony, the lady and the house of sadomasochism

Catherine Robbe Grillet has been for decades a particular figure within the intellectual elite of Paris. Having been the wife of the well-known writer Alain Robbe Grillet, she has written several books, some of them extremely controversial for their provocative erotic content. In one of them, "Ceremonies de femmes" she tells her deepest passion: to organize elegant and sensual sadomasochistic ceremonies.

In this documentary, young Swedish director Lina Mannhaimer makes an artistic approach to the erotic world of this Parisian lady. The films portraits a woman committed to her most primitive pleasures, both physically and philosophically. The film is composed of revealing interviews including participants of her sadomasochistic ceremonies, which are captured in their most sober elegance, highlighting the sounds that emanate from the simpler movements, such as the steps of heels, the friction of leather gloves or the breathing of a young victim.

One of the most curious anecdotes of the film is the contract signed between Beverly Charpentier, one of the characters of the film, who is thirty years younger than Catherine and has decided to have her as her mistress, living under total obedience in everything she decides for the rest of her life. The film opens minds and pores in an experience of expectation that questions the relationships between human beings and the behaviors of a society that educates us to sublimate our most natural desires.