Black Moon (1975) - Louis Malle

A surreal, erotic nightmare by Louis Malle which is far different than almost any of his other films.  Louis Malle's Black Moon opens with the viewer following an adolescent girl as she tries to escape from a war that has broken out between Men and Women.  She comes across a Manor which is occupied by a strange old women whose only connection with the outside world is a two-way radio.  This woman also have two children, a son and daughter, whom live on the grounds but never utter even a single word.  Malle's film is like Alice in Wonderland on acid, offering very little explanation or reasoning for what goes on in the film.  There are screaming/weeping plants, a unicorn which patrols the grounds, naked children who run around with a flock of sheep, and talking animals - just to name a few oddities which exist in the film.  It's puzzling yet addicting, the type of film in which I found myself hating and loving at the same time .  While the message of the film is a little hard to grasp, If I was forced to take some stab at what it all means, it may have something to do with sexual awakening, but even this aspect would only merely be a part of the puzzle.  Given the time period in which this film was made, with womans rights being at the forefront of social change, one could argue that Malle is hoping for a social revolution by showing the chaos that must exist before massive massive change can take hold.  The old woman represents the old ways, while the young girl represents the changes which are coming.  I don't know, anyone's guess is as good as mine to what Malle's true intentions actually were.  I have read that Malle also told viewers to go into this film expecting to watch some form of a dream, and I can totally see why.  Fascinating and thought provoking, though I wish I could ask Malle to explain exactly what he was trying to say.

7/10

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