Death and the Maiden

A brilliant theatrical psychological drama that explores the codes of crime, guilt and the ethics of the right to mete out punishment. Generations of filmmakers can learn from what Roman Polanski did here with three actors in one living room. Sigourney Weaver gives the performance of her life here. (04/04/2003)

A superb conversational thriller that reliably keeps the viewer guessing, thanks mainly to the excellent performance of Sigourney Weaver, who very convincingly straddles the border between a traumatised person longing for revenge and madness. Polanski has never impressed me very much (not even this time), but this film at least doesn’t feel as cold and emotionless as the rest of his work. Death and the Maiden really deserves attention. (12/09/2010)

Sigourney Weaver became a superstar of the highest caliber and a sought-after representative of strong female characters thanks to her role as Officer Ripley in the Alien saga. However, the Film Academy avoided her for a long time. Most film fans associate her acting peak with the Oscar-winning film Gorillas in the Mist, but I argue that she showcased her acting mastery best in Polanski's unassuming intimate film Death and the Maiden. Polanski often and successfully used stage adaptations as a starting point for his dramas. I consider this piece to be his "most theatrical." Three top-notch actors and an excellent screenplay keep the viewer in suspense and uncertainty until the very end, unsure of which side of the conflict to take, who the actual victim is, and which path leads to coming to terms with a dirty past. Polanski directed an emotionally charged conversational drama that only has one weakness, which is that some viewers would (quite understandably) prefer a more visually appealing form of an impressive thriller. Overall impression: 90%. (05/01/2019)

Another dense filmmaking experience from the master. A film built on three exceptional performances and a thematically strong and rewarding story. Gradually escalating and revealing a shocking truth that is clear from the beginning, but we want to hear it at the end. The ending is not cathartic, is just natural, and the rest is a solid psychological game of who with whom. Too bad that the hints of legal issues and the question of guilt/innocence and the right to punish/not to punish are much less entertaining than the similarly atmospheric, depressing but much more personal and intimate Bitter Moon, which the viewer can relate to much better. (12/01/2017)