Black Moon

Louis Malle was known for surprises. His films range far and wide, from his documentaries " The Silent World " and " Phantom India " to "My Dinner with Andre" in which a restaurant conversation about life's meaning is extended into a feature length film. My personal favorites include the wild 1960 dada farce " Zazie Dans Le Métro " (written by Raymond Queneau) and this one "Black Moon," of 1975. Based on three dreams of Malle and shot at his own country home, this work stands as most unique even in Malle's diverse output.

A young girl's guilt in running over an animal while driving leads her to a bizarre confrontation with the animal world and her own conflicted sexuality. While a vicious war between the sexes is waged in the surrounding countryside, the girl finds a difficult solace in a home presided over by a petulant bedridden old lady and her husband (a large rat). All the humans the girl meets have her name. Psychologically complex and haunting with the subdued colors of an approaching storm.