Roman Polanski directs a film (based on a play by the same name) about a director who is trying to cast a play (which he wrote, also by the same name) based on a book written by the man whose name gave us the term “masochism.” There are only two actors: Matheiu Amalric, who looks very much like a young Polanski, and Emmanuelle Seigner, who is Polanski’s real-life wife. A clever bit of casting for a story that examines sexual power dynamics, but is ultimately concerned with the overlap of an artist and his art. It’s the end of the day, and everyone has gone home. But a woman arrives, desperate to audition for the female lead, and convinces the playwright to read the character he has created opposite her. Amazingly, she seems to know the work by heart… You may see where it’s going, but it’s still good queasy fun getting there. (2014) — Matthew Lickona
This movie is not currently in theaters.