Fresh
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.
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Death and the Maiden
Prepare yourself for the moment of truth.
1994 · 1h 43m · R
Drama, Thriller
Directed by
Roman Polanski
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Death and the Maiden
Overview
A political activist is convinced that her guest is a man who once tortured her for the government.
Director and cast
- Roman Polanski Director
- Sigourney Weaver as Paulina Escobar
- Ben Kingsley as Dr. Roberto Miranda
- Stuart Wilson as Gerardo Escobar
- Krystia Mova as Dr. Miranda's Wife
- Jonathan Vega as Dr. Miranda's Son
- Rodolphe Vega as Dr. Miranda's Son
- Gilberto Cortés as String Quartet Player
- Jorge Cruz as String Quartet Player
- Carlos Moreno as String Quartet Player
- Eduardo Valenzuela as String Quartet Player
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
84%
Tomatometer
Fresh
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.
Todd McCarthy, Variety
Fresh
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).
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Fresh
Mr. Polanski treads lightly on the clumsier lines, and sustains tension by creating an elegant, unobtrusive dance with the camera.
Caryn James, New York Times
Fresh
Death and the Maiden forces the audience to confront questions about torture and punishment.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
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