In A Glass Cage

Within seconds of it's opening scene, I imagine IN A GLASS CAGE will be capable of repelling some viewers.

We fade in to the sight of a young boy, strapped around the wrists, hanging naked in a derelict building. An elderly man, Klaus (Gunter Meisner) takes photographs of the boy, before moving in closer to admire the naked torso, and kiss him on the lips. Then, Klaus observes the boy from behind - as if contemplating what to do next. Seconds later, Klaus has decided upon his course of action, and kills the boy with a heavy blow from a thick wooden beam.

The above is watched from a window by an unseen observer, who enters the scene of the crime upon Klaus' exit - and steals the diary the old man accidentally leaves behind.

Racked with guilt over the lust he cannot control, Klaus attempts to take his own life by leaping from the roof of a building. His suicide attempt fails.

After such an intense opening, it's a relief when the opening credits follow with the soothing strains of a sole male youth singing angelically over stylishly composed snapshots of Nazi war atrocities.

Then the real fun begins …

A paralysed Klaus is confined to an 'iron lung' - a huge chamber that enables him to breathe, tended to by his wife, her daughter and the maid.

The wife Griselda (Marisa Paredes) is drained by the constant supervision her husband requires and chooses to hire a nurse. Enter Angelo.

Angelo (David Sust) appears from nowhere, informing the household that he met Klaus during his spell in hospital and that he must be allowed to care for the man. Klaus agrees and, reluctantly, so does Griselda.

Angelo soon makes his motives for wanting to be near Klaus apparent … and although it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out the route this plot is taking, it's unfair to give anything further away as this film demands to be seen just to be experienced.

Visually, director Agustin Villaronga (99.9; EL MAR) has crafted a film that is beautifully framed and at all times stunning to look at. So much attention has been given to how this film looks and feels, it's almost painful.

The house that Klaus lives in is in itself a metaphor for his dying marriage, his ailing body, etc - all grey décor and deliberate darkness waiting around every corner.

The film is paced well too - it builds slowly, with a few knock-out scenes of genuine horror build-up along the way. The murder scenes in particular are as notable for their tense build-ups as they are for their cold cruelty.

A special mention must also be afforded to the actors, who give superlatively understated performances throughout.

And, before I forget, I'll add Javier Navarrete to the list of people who make this film so compelling. His score is haunting, jolting and timeless in equal measures.

It's difficult to assess a film that shares as one of it's themes the sexual desires of a paedophile, and yet presents certain passages of it's dramatic dynamo in such broad exploitative manners (the horror soundtrack, moody lighting, manic villainy of Angelo).

After all, had this been a much more reserved piece, filmed in an even more matter-of-fact manner than that which it is, perhaps it would be less troublesome. More harrowing maybe, but less open to accusations of "exploitation" …

But the long and short of it is that IN A GLASS CAGE is a well-made, well-written film. Yes, it tackles thorny subject matter and occasionally dips into irresponsible Grand Guignol theatrics, but nevertheless this is a good film.

If in doubt of Villaronga's intent, it would be wise to stick around for the final scene - where the moral message hits home with a haunting subtlety that is sure to stick for a while.

If unconcerned with such dilemmas as above - in other words, if you're looking for cheap trashy titillation - you may wish to bypass IN A GLASS CAGE. It deserves your concentration, and does have the power to genuinely disturb. One thing it won't do though is "entertain".

Cult Epics must be applauded for releasing such a small, controversial film onto DVD. Uncut!

Virtually ignored over the last decade, this film was vilified at film festivals upon it's release in 1986. It's good to see it garnering favourable reviews now that it's seen the light of day again.

The film is presented in non-anamorphic 1.85:1. Colours are faded in many darker scenes, and you may moan at the occasional compression problems evident in the lack of genuine blacks. But day scenes are lovely and sharp, with good clear colour to boast of. To summarise, the picture isn't perfect but it's also the best you'll have seen this film look. And who else is going to release it?!

Audio is in Spanish language, mono. Removable English subtitles are easy to read - although there were a couple of occasions where the text flashed on the screen so quickly I would have missed it had I blinked!

The only bona fide extra is an interview with Villaronga, which is very interesting. Awfully framed (it's missing half of his head for the first 3 minutes!), the video interview is at least interesting and does portray Villaronga as a fiercely intelligent individual with genuine and honourable reasons for wanting to make this film. He also addresses trying to sell the film at festivals, how he got round shooting the more contentious scenes with child actors, and so on.

You also get a four-page booklet which includes good liner notes from Stephen Thrower (culled from his EYEBALL tome).

There's 18 chapters over the course of the film's 108 minute running time. The film is presented in a keepcase packaging, with rather dull animated menus.

Perhaps not for everyone's tastes (rife with references to paedophilia, and not without it's fair share of homo-erotic undertones) IN A GLASS CAGE will prove to be involving, powerful horror for those who are open-minded enough to embrace it.

Review by Stu Willis