So, I just watched Mercy (2000) on Amazon. It has generally poor or very mixed reviews and I was expecting a very trashy erotic thriller. However, what I watched was totally different. It's not perfect by any stretch but I think it was way ahead of its time in its themes and our understanding of them.
This is a movie not just about some sleazy serial killer who moves through lesbian/BDSM circles, but rather about trauma and how some people find comfort and release through sex, bondage and find personal realisation through same sex or bisexual relationships. There's also not much sex in it, but more the suggestion and seductive beats throughout – at least they're more prominent in my mind. It is a little graphic in places but it didn't feel exploitative in a traditional sense. The sex, the victims, both how they came to be victims and the killer's own motivation for choosing them, and the acts throughout are based around responses to trauma, from PTSD, to a psychologist (played by the late Julian Sands) who constantly deals with the trauma of others (and relates to his female patients in more ways than one), divorce/separation/betrayal and alienation in relationships, to general work related stress and pressure. It is very much centred around the betrayal of trust in all of the main characters' lives.
The stand out performance is from Peta Wilson, who is sultry, seductive and obviously gorgeous but brings a real layered performance with moments of guilt, grief, passion, a hint of madness and impulsivity and genuine sadness that she confronts through the thrill of her sex life.
It seems there were two cuts of the film, a short 90 minute version and a longer 117 minute cut (on Amazon), which I can only assume adds further context. There's too much going on so the film had to suffer a lot for what I imagine was the original 90 minute cut. The few reviews online are flippant and dismissive and while it does have some cliched moments (I couldn't stand Ellen Barkin's rough no-nonsense female cop in her first few minutes) I think it has far more going on here.
Anyway, I could go on but I thought I'd share it here. If you have seen it or see it, is it me? I was just a bit surprised by it though I can understand why some will see it as only cliched trash, but I feel that's a great disservice to it. |
