Death and the Maiden (1995)
85%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: 5 nominations
Roman Polanski’s Death and the Maiden is a masterful exploration of morality, justice, and revenge. The tension is palpable throughout, thanks to Polanski’s claustrophobic direction and the impressive performances of Weaver, Kingsley, and Wilson. The film’s themes are thought-provoking and complex, leaving the viewer with much to ponder long after the credits roll. Polanski’s elegant camera work and subtle handling of the script’s more awkward moments make for a truly engaging and suspenseful experience. Death and the Maiden is a must-see for fans of psychological thrillers and those who appreciate intelligent, nuanced filmmaking.
Death and the Maiden is a thrilling movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The performances by Weaver and Kingsley are top-notch, and Polanski’s direction is masterful. The tension is palpable, and the twists and turns will leave you guessing until the very end. It’s a thought-provoking piece that raises important questions about justice and revenge. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned psychological thriller? Highly recommend for anyone who wants to be entertained and challenged at the same time.
Production Company(ies)
London Film Productions,
Distributor
Fine Line Features
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Meirás, Ferrol, A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong language including descriptions of violent situations
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Stereo Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 43m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 23, 1994 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 14, 2020
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley, Stuart Wilson, directed by Roman Polanski, written by Ariel Dorfman, Rafael Yglesias, drama, R rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Kim Newman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Todd McCarthy, Geoff Andrew, Nick Schager, Caryn James, Quentin Crisp, Yasser Medina, produced by Josh Kramer, Thom Mount, Fine Line Features, lawyer, kidnapping, torture, rape, gunpoint, mock trial, moral conundrums, guilt, revenge, punishment, justice, man’s responsibility, dictatorship, dissident activist, paranoia, political prisoner, South American country, allegations of torture, shifting alliances, captive guest, confession of guilt, psychological thriller, horror, suspense, tension, sexual tension, elegant, unobtrusive dance with the camera, Surround, Stereo
Worldwide gross: $3,103,716
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,103,023
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,114
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 665,542
US/Canada gross: $3,103,716
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $6,103,023
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,751
US/Canada opening weekend: $74,366
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $146,230
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,792
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $12,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $23,596,318
Production budget ranking: 1,273
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $12,706,617
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$30,199,913
ROI to date (est.): -83%
ROI ranking: 1,914
Ben Kingsley – Dr. Roberto Miranda
Stuart Wilson – Gerardo Escobar
Karen Strassman –
Carlos Moreno –
Krystia Mova –
Director(s)
Roman Polanski
Writer(s)
Ariel Dorfman, Rafael Yglesias
Producer(s)
Josh Kramer, Thom Mount
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
5 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (9)
Even by their high standards, the performances of Weaver and Kingsley here are impressive, and Polanski ratchetts up the tension nicely. A chilling and thought-provoking piece.
February 19, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Polanski certainly gets the maximum voltage and precision out of his story and actors, keeping us preternaturally alert to shifting power relationships and delayed revelations.
February 19, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Kingsley shrewdly tantalizes the viewer about his identity, and gets to deliver the text’s most riveting monologue at the end. The lesser-known Wilson may be the first among equals, impressing strongly as the equivocating husband.
May 26, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Polanski wisely never opens out the action from the remote clifftop house. In keeping things claustrophobic, close-up and ambivalent, he heightens the suspense (not to mention the sexual tension).
January 26, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Roman Polanski’s underappreciated 1994 thriller Death and the Maiden confronts a litany of moral conundrums regarding guilt, revenge, punishment, justice, and man’s responsibility to himself and society.
May 31, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/4
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Mr. Polanski treads lightly on the clumsier lines, and sustains tension by creating an elegant, unobtrusive dance with the camera.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3.5/5
Caryn James
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Miss Weaver plays the victim with quite astonishing intensity, and deals with Mr. Kingsley in a manner that is quite convincing.
April 21, 2022
Quentin Crisp
Christopher Street
Polanski manages to size the fundamental components of the mystery and suspense so that the atmosphere of the film is sinister in some scenes. But what I see hardly captivates me. [Full review in Spanish]
July 20, 2020 | Rating: 6/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
It’s based on the gripping three-character play by Ariel Dorfman.
July 10, 2011 | Rating: B
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
December 7, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com
Polanski kicks the movie up to a level of emotional violence rare in English-speaking films.
July 29, 2007 | Rating: 5/5
Rob Gonsalves
eFilmCritic.com
July 29, 2007 | Rating: 4/5
Neil Cohen
Echo Magazine…
Plot
Paulina Escobar is a political activist whose husband is a prominent lawyer in an unnamed South American country just out of a dictatorship. One day a storm forces her husband to ride home with a neighbor. That chance encounter brings up demons from her past, as she is convinced that the neighbor (Dr. Miranda) was part of the old fascist regime that tortured and raped her, while blindfolded. Paulina takes him captive to determine the truth. Paulina is torn between her psychological repressions and somber memory, Gerardo is torn between his wife and the law, and Dr. Miranda is forced to endure captivity while husband and wife seek out the uncertain truth about the clouded past.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels notes that Sigourney Weaver gives an “astonishingly intense” performance in Death and the Maiden.
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