Released 1996
Stars Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas, Frances Fisher, Laila Robbins, Paulina Porizkova
Directed by Susan Streitfeld

"Female Perversions" is inspired by Female Perversions: The Temptations of Emma Bovary, a non-fiction book by feminist Louise J. Kaplan. There are times when Streitfeld tries a little too hard to get Kaplan's points into the film, and the result is less-than-successful. Had this film been directed by a man, I would have been tempted to call it soft porn, but, since there's a woman (Susan Streitfeld) putting all the naked female flesh up on screen, it seems a little less exploitative. Besides, there are times when the nudity is important to the script, and Female Perversions is nothing if not rich in ideas. In fact, that's part of the problem. The movie is so focused on presenting its agenda that it frequently lapses into pretentiousness. The characters don't always speak dialogue; occasionally, they start mouthing slogans. And there's some embarrassingly heavy-handed dream imagery that features a naked woman being bound after falling off a tightrope.

Swinton plays Eve Stephens, an aggressive attorney who's up for an open position on the Court of Appeals. From the outside, Eve appears to have everything -- she's a smart, powerful, attractive go-getter whose career is on the rise and whose love-life would be the envy of many professional women. She knows how to use her body to get what she wants -- her cleavage and subtle body language are as much a part of her closing arguments as are her words. Deep-down, however, Eve is troubled. She is haunted by feelings of inadequacy, has recurring visions of herself failing, experiences nightmares of a violent confrontation between her parents, and hears babbling voices. One of those voices, referring to her use of sexuality to sway opinion in her favor, comments: "Nothing about you is genuine. Everyone knows you're a fraud." Driven ever closer to the line between madness and sanity, Eve begins taking risks in every aspect of her life.

Ultimately, Female Perversions is frustratingly incomplete. As a character study, it has flashes of brilliance, but strong ideas, erotic sex scenes, and a lot of naked flesh can't make up for the lack of a compelling story. It has a lot to say about gender and sexuality, but lacks a strong narrative.

Summary by James Berardinelli