The Duke of Burgundy

Released Jan 23, 2015

1 hr. 46 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

List

94%

109 Reviews

Tomatometer

65%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Two entomologists (Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'Anna) play ritual games of dominance and subservience.

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Critics Consensus

Stylish, sensual, and smart, The Duke of Burgundy proves that erotic cinema can have genuine substance.

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Kara F

They are selling BDSM rather hard lately huh? ( the romantic Satanists lol ) Satanism is Sadism It's a certainly atmosphere Vibe Its Trauma porn A fetish for depression ? Silly indulgent morbid morose immature Unhealthy for kids/ teens basically As a parent u must take notice of these fabricatex marketing games/ trends... Prob unhealthy for adults 2 lol #Mental Health Matters " ( Values, art, vibes too )

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Jerome M

Not wetting my pants

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

Adrian S

As gorgeous as it is understated. Watching this movie gave me the same feeling as reading Lolita for the first time. While I find it perverse and wrong in ways it is so drenched in aesthetic that you start to look at the subject matter through rose tinted glasses. It's honest and real in ways other movies aren't and the ending shows that.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/05/22

Full Review

Audience Member

This was an interesting film and I did enjoy watching it. Many films I watch are quite complex and, in their own way, intense and it was nice to have something a bit freer and easier to watch, it was quite nice to relax into the scenes without having to really think and analyse. However, I am not without criticism for this film. At first it seemed like an 'erotica' and I wanted to mark it down simply for that reason because even when intelligently done there is a certain 'dirtiness' to the genre but the film grew on me too much becoming a relationship drama which is OK but then with a touch on the supernatural/surreal and even a gothic/horror edge with some of the images of that carved chest I felt like it was trying to be too many things and only touched on the surface of each and more importantly the plot suffered - it was a little thin. Evelyn is a screwed up pervert with little self control who loves Cynthia but also wants her to do her bidding, Cynthia wants to be a good lover but at the same time just wants a normal relationship with the woman she loves - I get it, I really don't need to be told again and again. Also, the characters were a little superficial - we didn't really know anything about them, who they were or where they came from; they were well acted at least. The film is full of symbolism and meaning but at times it feels a little forced and perhaps we could say something about how it is profound on the subject of sexuality but really arousal is arousal, there is nothing too deep about it - if a man just wants to get drunk does it really make much difference what he drinks to do so? That being said the film was nicely shot and very creative and does highlight briefly one or two relationship questions. A point of note is there were some extremely beautiful early autumn shots correlated by the whole film having a quiet and subdued feel; for me these autumn scenes were where there was the most intense feeling in the film mirrored as Cynthia enters into the early autumn years of her life but this was only touched on once really. I am going to give this film a five out of ten - although it was highly creative and original and did have some really beautiful shots and it was also easy and enjoyable to watch the plot and characters were a little thin and the film lacked the layered depth of the others, but overall very pleased to have seen it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

kik t

poetic, subtle, but way to slow. Seen it was an act of S&M

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I decided to watch this because it had good reviews. It never got going for me and that is a couple of hours of my life I will never get back, not sure what the point of it was. For me the star was the cat.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Peter Strickland

Director

Sidse Babett Knudsen

Cynthia

Chiara D'Anna

Evelyn

Eugenia Caruso

Dr. Fraxini

Monica Swinn

Lorna

Fatma Mohamed

The Carpenter

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Fikri

Autostraddle

What I really appreciated about the film was that it was most definitely not made for the male gaze, which was my no. 1 fear upon hearing it was yet another sexy lesbian film directed by a man.

Aug 12, 2021

Full Review

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

Beautiful, sexy, funny and tragic, with its all-women cast and sole focus on female sexuality it is clear evidence that mainstream cinema's aversion to strong women as the centre of a film is hackneyed, dull, and simply false.

Rated: 9/10

Aug 25, 2018

Full Review

Philippa Hawker

The Age (Australia)

It's a visually rich, tactile film with two beautifully observed, subtle performances at its centre.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2015

Full Review

Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

Anchored by fantastic performances from its focal women, Chiara D’Anna and Sidse Babett Knudsen, The Duke of Burgundy was one of my more effortless choices...

Aug 1, 2023

Full Review

Paul Kanieski

KSQD Community Radio

The Duke of Burgundy is a sympathetic look at the negotiations and compromises that often need to occur in relationships after they suddenly and unexpectedly morph into something that threatens to flutter away.

Jul 26, 2023

Full Review

Merryn Johns

Curve

This low budget feature has enough sumptuous art direction and clever cinematic touches to make it a solid movie of the art house variety. The camera is beautifully positioned in every shot.

May 19, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Two entomologists (Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D'Anna) play ritual games of dominance and subservience.

Director: Peter Strickland
Executive Producer: Lizzie Francke, Anna Higgs, Amy Jump, Ildiko Kemeny
Distributor: IFC Films
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 23, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $43.2K

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