Closet Land

Closet Land is a film about torture. Don't get this confused in with the pointless films that show other ethnicities torturing white devils, this one lies within the mind. The film is backed with two actors, equally amazing. There is no other characters outside the tight, limited space reminiscent to the claustrophobia of Cube.

When i think of proper political films, only a few spring to mind; Arlington Road is one of the more narcissistic ones. The plot concerns a person (Alan Rickman) confining a woman (Madeleine Stowe) who is believed to hide political propaganda in her children's books in order to subliminally mold them to resist the government.


With a plot that speaks of no depth or details to it, it goes surprisingly far. It's a neat little political gem that causes you to think and pay attention to every move this sadistic interrogator makes. You are unsure of who the real victim is, most of the runtime. Whether it be Rickman or Stowe, neither of them have a say in the matter. The one thing i can truly applaud the film for, is it's incredible use of sounds. Of course, Rickman shines as the oppressor.

The film ends with a blurb stating the percentage of citizens being wrongly and cruelly tortured & interrogated by their own government. Statistics like these rattle you to the core. The film speaks against propaganda, though itself can be seen as anti-government propaganda. I wouldn't put it past India-born director Radha Bharadwaj. Her feminist touch to this film shows greatly, and only weightens the serious tone down to an almost halt.

The ending is one that you can never be certain. Is it just another cruel technique to make her a victim of her conscious? Closet Land is an incredibly effective and tense, brooding thriller. It showers light on inhumane torture and interrogation but relies too much on gender and it's own propaganda needs.

-Maq