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6 Degrees Entertainment

'Going Under - Unrated'
(Roger Rees, Geno Lechner, et al / DVD / Unrated / (2004) 2007 / Blue Underground )

Overview: Peter, a married psychotherapist, and Suzanne, a professional dominatrix, have been engaged in an affair of sensual dominance and submission in an S&M dungeon where they must abide by the rules. Now, those rules are about to be broken when they agree to see each other on the outside. As Peter becomes increasingly obsessed with the troubled Suzanne, they embark on a sordid psychosexual journey into their tortured pasts through their most carnal desires.

DVD Verdict: Roger Rees stars in 'Going Under' as Peter, a psychotherapist who is married and has a teenaged daughter. He also enjoys having sessions with a dominatrix named Mistress Diana (Geno Lechner). Peter has been seeing her for some time, and he's very excited when she suggests they see each other outside of her workplace. Peter's wife has left town to work on her latest novel and his daughter is traveling through Europe, so he jumps at the chance. When they meet for a drink, Peter learns that Diana's real name is Suzanne. They talk about their lives and their pasts, and Peter feels a real connection to Suzanne. Suzanne is clearly intrigued by Peter, but she has several issues keeping her from totally opening up to him. For one thing, she is in a relationship with a woman, Miko (Miho Nikaido). But, more importantly, because of her lifestyle, the idea of a "normal" relationship with a man frightens her.

The movie then attempts to go back and forth between Peter and Suzanne, telling the story of both characters. The issue here is that Suzanne's story is much more interesting than Peter's. Peter's tale may be lurid -- a married man who visits a dominatrix and has feelings for here -- but, it's also tidy and somewhat bland.

On the contrary, Suzanne is a ball of issues which don't get fully explored in the movie. We learn some about her parents and the treatment which she received from her mother. But, we don't learn much about Suzanne's relationship with Miko, other than the fact that they are lovers. Again, Suzanne's central issue in the film is her reluctance to pursue any sort of serious relationship with Peter, and the implied reason is that she doesn't know how to shift out of her dominatrix role. She clearly wants to be with Peter, after all, she actually suggested that they see each other, but she won't let herself take that step. Many people deal with bringing their work home with them, and Suzanne's example is an extreme one. Yet, the movie seems determined to make Peter the focus of the film and we never get inside Suzanne's mind.

Obviously, an important facet of this film is the sexuality. There are some graphic portrayals of S&M in the film, and the movie portrays many of the things which can transpire with a dominatrix. Yet, there's little nudity in the film, and it never approaches pornography. In fact, these scenes become quite tedious after a while. Halfway through the film, director Eric Werthman decides to begin inserting flashbacks to Peter and Diana's earlier sessions. These scenes really slow the film down, as we long to return to their story in the present. This gives an idea of the sluggish and questionable pacing of the film. 'Going Under' is one film which deserves to be seen but not neccessarily heard! This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

AUDIO COMMENTARY from co-writer/director Eric Werthman and star Roger Rees
"Pushing the Boundaries" Featurette (17 minutes)
"NYC Black and Blue Ball' Documentary (6 minutes)
TEASER & THEATRICAL TRAILERs for 'Going Under'





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