In Duke of Burgundy, what did the psychedelic montage mean?
SPOILERS: Everything I write here is a spoiler.
Before the end act of the movie, there is a psychedelic montage (dream sequence). What it represents or what happens within it is not entirely clear to me. Perhaps Peter Strickland did not intend it to be clear to the audience. I don't know.
I will give my best guess to its meaning, but first, I shall summarize the end from my point of view. This will give my guess context.
As for the actual end of the film, I took it to be that Cynthia (older woman) went back to being topped from the bottom by Evelyn. This is a sad ending for Cynthia because she truly enjoyed the one time in which she actually took control over Evelyn. Of course, I refer to the eating-cake-in-her-comfortable-pajamas scene.
The only thing that could motivate Cynthia to return to her unhappy state with Evelyn would be if Evelyn continued to be unfaithful and have liaisons with that other woman (I forgot her name). Then I can see Cynthia giving in to Evelyn's control and specific fetishes in order to regain the relationship with Evelyn. And we also (maybe) see Evelyn walking out of the house at night in the dream sequence. Perhaps that represents her continued infidelity?
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What is the film Duke of Burgundy about?
Title. As lepidopterology (the study of moths and butterflies) is a theme throughout the film, the title refers to the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina) butterfly, although it is no longer known "how [it] received that name in the first place, any reasoning being lost in the mists of entomological antiquity."Why is the film called The Duke of Burgundy?
And so on. Strickland's film is a daring, atmosphere-soaked piece of kink hypnotherapy that pays explicit homage to the films of Franco, down to the casting of former Franco regular, formidable femme Monica Swinn, in a sinister role. It's not a horror film per se, and is in fact a little comedic in its overt content.Is Duke of Burgundy a horror?
In the final scenes, Cynthia finally breaks into tears and Evelyn begs her forgiveness and love saying she will do 'anything' to prove her devotion. The following montage shows the women sleeping in the bed together, the trunk being removed and Evelyn's scripts and instructions being burnt.Duke of Burgundy Reconstructed - Nightmare sequence
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Images: Anni Roenkae, Anni Roenkae, cottonbro, Sharon McCutcheon