“what is this strange sensation misery has on you?”
a huge “men are trash” type of story, directed by a great example of that description, roman polanski.
polanski’s film adaption of tess, orchestrates the suffering that men inflict on women. on the surface, it is barry lyndon’s ruthful and feminine counterpart. tess, angelically portrayed by nastassja kinski, is buffeted on by the double standards of victorian society. unlike redmond barry, she does not dominate her world in a flamboyant manner, she silently slips by.
labeling this as a portrait of empowerment would be a travesty, the camera sympathizes with our tragic heroine’s fragility. young tess, at the mercy of life, heart and pride—never falls into the right hands and remains too…