IslandGuru Who payed the critics

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Yash Wade Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

digiroud I'll never forget this movie I've seen with my boyfriend by chance, one night, on cable TV. Beginning with the highest symphony ever made (Beethoven's 7th), a burning volcano, then the cold and frightening voice of Lucas (one of the best french actors)...you just have to let yourself go in this symphonic movie, in between calm and tough unexpected moments of violence. So you stay nervous till the end, and even if you know a part of the key of the mystery before its end, it doesn't matter, as the actors keep you under their control. I wont tell more about this piece of pure art, to keep its secret. Just watch it, no matter where and how !

Claudio Carvalho Yesterday I saw "Tiresia" and I do not know what kind of magic this movie has to be so attractive. I saw six times the introduction, with the awesome allegro of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 and only lava on the screen. The story is very weird, beginning with in the red light district of Paris, with many travesties, most of them Brazilian and speaking Portuguese, "working" on the street, and a sick guy wandering around the prostitutes. The strange voyeur kidnaps a Brazilian travesty and brings him home without having sex, recalling William Wyler's "The Collector". In this part, there is an explicit frontal nudity of the homosexual in a very shocking and dramatic scene but never aggressive. Then the movie becomes cruel, and the identity of the abductor is disclosed and the story has a strong plot point, like in David Lynch's "Lost Highway". Although being very irregular, this last part also hooks the attention of the viewer until the very last scene. "Tiresia" is bizarre, impressive, intriguing and attractive, but recommended for very specific audiences only. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Tiresia"

writers_reign Other than good, bad or indifferent it's difficult to classify this one. Okay, it's based on a Myth so the director needs to find modern equivalents but this still leaves unanswered questions. Number one must be why Laurent Lucas picked this particular hooker to kidnap. There's no indication that they had met previously and by extension that Laurent would know Tiresia was a pre-op transsexual. Number two, why do none of her hooker colleagues come looking for her and/or report her missing; given the precarious nature of sex-with-strangers it's reasonable to suppose that hookers write down and/or memorise the numbers of the cars they and their colleagues get into. Number three, where does Lucas get his money? He appears to have no job yet lives in a large several storey house - albeit dilapidated - and drives a car without a visible source of income. To these can be added others such as what, if any symbolic meaning has the hedgehog in Laurent's garden which he is constantly feeding and why - other than the fact that it fits the original myth - does he opt to blind Tiresia rather than killing her outright or breaking say an arm or a leg. Then we can throw in why does Laurent double the role of a priest in the second half of the film. Though I kept watching til the end these and other questions punctuated the viewing throughout, not the best sign for a filmmaker whose objective surely is to make you forget you're watching a film.

scott182-1 Why did this film keep me up until 6 AM this morning?? Why is this film still playing over in my head? The plot(based on a Greek mythological tale) in itself is conceptually humanistic, and decidedly modern in its themes. The plot plays out in a modest tempo, allowing the viewer to soak it all in. The film has a multitude of richness. Something shines, something shocks, something frightens, something speaks, something is seen. One of the most interesting works of cinema I have seen in a number of years, Tiresia is a challenging, disturbing yet rewarding watch. The visual language is compelling(some scenes are staged to look like an oil painting painted by Velasquez taking a surrealistic turn, others look like sketches from a Dali nightmare) but the real heart of the film beats out of the sublime performances. Brave actors who put their bodies and soul on display. Parts of the film leave you feeling voyeuristic, like watching something you know you shouldn't be but can't turn away from. Highly Recommended for those who prefer a steak of a film to a bucket of stale popcorn.