Closet Land (1991)

Now that we already covered one psychological thriller, which had the two-hander/same location/capturer-hostage formula, here comes another one, and here it’s truly just two people; no other character ever shows up. Before talking about that, what a great decade Madeleine Stowe had in the 90s! She started to focus on her other interests and hasn’t made a theatrical film for over two decades now, but back then, when you saw her in a movie, chances are it was something highly entertaining. She plays an unnamed children’s book author accused of embedding subversive messages in her work. She’s interrogated by Alan Rickman, who once called the film underrated himself.

Said to be inspired by the experiences of Chilean activist Veronica De Negri’s torture under Pinochet during the 1970s, this is a harrowing, almost dystopian film reminiscent of Kafka’s “The Trial.” As the formal interrogation devolves into a psychological battle, the film gets more and more interesting. It doesn’t just explore the totalitarian mind but also the abuser/victim roles between a powerful male and an oppressed woman.

The performances by both actors are excellent, and their parts play to their strengths. It’s not the first time Rickman plays a well-calculated, cold villain or Stowe plays a vulnerable woman, but it’s the writing that makes it interesting and gives both actors a chance to find different layers in these roles. After everything ends, you’ll find yourself talking about state oppression, individuality, the ethics of torturous interrogation, how powerful the literature can be, and of course, the power of imagination. Director Radha Bharadwaj gives almost a theatrical presentation here, but somehow it also feels cinematic. An emotionally draining, unusual, and deeply unsettling thriller.