Chris_Lynch writes:

Avoid reading about The Book of Revelation before you see it. It is fascinating and powerful, but knowing too much will lessen its impact. Directed and co-written by Ana Kokkinos (Head On) from the book by Rupert Thomson, this complex erotic horror about sex, power, and masculine identity will divide audiences. It examines the abduction and brutal rape of a male dancer by three women, and the aftermath of his experience. That's probably enough to know whether this film is for you.

When Daniel (Tom Long) eventually goes to the police to report that a 'friend' was abducted by three women, the police sergeant bursts out laughing. "Poor bastard," he says. Whether you agree will depend on how willing you are to suspend your disbelief in the gender role-reversal of rapist and victim. Female-on-male sexual assault does, in fact, occur; but, in reporting their experience, male victims are faced with two unassailable assumptions: that men always want sex, and that physical arousal means consent.

The Book of Revelation, though, is not about rape; it is primarily a study of masculinity. The male ego is motivated by the desire to control, to understand and manipulate his environment. Artists and feminists have sometimes used this to damn all men. Kokkinos, however, is not interested in ideology, and simply takes this fact as the starting point of an exploration of what happens to a man when control is taken away.

In recent times, Australian films like The Interview and The Boys have examined the controlling male ˆ more ambiguously in the case of The Boys. Despite being about the rape of a woman, The Boys shares thematic similarities with Revelation. Both depict male violence as an inappropriate response to not feeling in control, for instance. Interestingly, both films have the same cinematographer, Tristan Milani, who here does equally satisfying work. Whereas The Boys went for a bleak and grungy look, Revelation is rich and colour-saturated, even in the darkness that envelopes many scenes.

The theatricality extends from the cinematography to the music (a brooding score by Cezary Skubiszewski), the use of costumes, and the slow, deliberate dialogue, recalling Eyes Wide Shut. While Kubrick‚s final film was under-rated (in part for being misunderstood as a sexy thriller), The Book of Revelation is the superior film, because it makes us care more about the male protagonist.

'Protagonist' is not quite the right word, since Daniel does little of his own volition. Emotionally controlled by his self-centred dancer girlfriend (Anna Torv), and with his dancing scrutinised by a brilliant but demanding choreographer, Isabel (Greta Scacchi), Daniel seems to have little control over his life even before his abduction. He is something of a cipher, consumed by his work. He has no male friends, and only Isabel and his girlfriend are concerned when he goes missing. It is left to unfolding events and Tom Long's wonderful portrayal of wounded-animal masculinity to evoke sympathy for him. Daniel's inability to do much about his experience is likely to frustrate. But it is this powerlessness to act which is central to the themes of the film, and to its final emotional impact.

There isn't a weak link in the experienced cast, who all deliver strong performances, but Revelation is Kokkinos's film. Like her previous works, it deals with sex and identity ˆ although in the words of her stand-in, Isabel, it goes beyond sex. The director's hand is evident in all aspects of the film, from the script to the shots of the Melbourne streets. Particularly important is the careful soundscape, unobtrusive but ˆ along with the slow dialogue and attention to visual detail ˆ essential to the dream-like mood she creates.

The film disturbs because of the conflation of the beautiful and the depraved. Even as Daniel's psyche is emasculated, his body is objectified, and the viewer is invited to enjoy what they're watching. "Why me?" he asks at one point. "Because you're beautiful," his keeper replies, and we can't help but agree. Would this film get away with eroticising a woman to the same extent? Possibly not, but then that is part of the discussion Kokkinos is interested in provoking ˆ arguably, female rape is eroticised on the screen, if rarely this theatrically.

Ultimately, The Book of Revelation succeeds in showing violent exploitation without itself becoming exploitative. Kokkinos never stops empathising with Daniel, always focusing on him rather than what is done to him. On a thematic level, she pairs him with Olsen (Colin Friels), Isabel's ex-husband and a police detective who investigates cold cases. Just as Daniel's girlfriend, and the sexual predators who abduct him, represent perversions of the feminine psyche, Olsen represents the integrated male ego. He is in control of both himself and his environment, able to help his lover when she needs him, and to quietly deal with Daniel's inarticulateness in a way a woman could not.

If this is beginning to seem like a thesis, that's because The Book of Revelation is coming soon to a gender studies subject near you. This is certainly a film of ideas. At the deepest level it is perhaps about choice. Isabel's response to personal misfortune is an unspoken rebuke to Daniel; control lies in choosing how to respond to what happens, not in controlling the events themselves. It is left to Deborah Mailman's luminescent performance as Julie to ground the film‚s conclusion in everyday reality, though no doubt too late for some.

Does the theatrical distancing work as a device? Perhaps Kokkinos considered it necessary for people to engage with the film's ideas. It is likely to generate far more controversy than The Boys, about the gang-rape of a woman ˆ though this is probably attributing art-house film with too much influence. Revelation will be seen by few, dismissed by many as film wankery. They will have a point: in the end, is this less confronting than a more mainstream film about a female teacher and her teenage student might be? Possibly. But that is to criticise the film for what it is not. Visually magnificent, with a tight, elliptical narrative, excellent performances, and ideas which threaten to overwhelm the characters, The Book of Revelation is a film to see, and then to argue about.

Women might enjoy seeing the stiletto on the other foot ˆ if not quite forgetting that this is rape ˆ but it is really men who should see this film. So, grrls, take your man along to see an adult film with full-frontal female nudity. And then watch him squirm for a couple of hours. If he knows what's good for him, he'll thank you for it later.


The Book of Revelation
2006

Director: Ana Kokkinos
Screenwriters: Ana Kokkinos & Andre Bovell, based on the novel by Rupert Thomson
Producers: Al Clark
Cinematographer: Tristan Milani
Original Music: Cezary Skubiszewski
Editor: Martin Connor
Cast: Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, Colin Friels, Anna Torv, Deborah Mailman