Georgette Meunier

This independent feature, indulgently described as 'black comedy', tells of Georgette's frustrated love affair with brother Emile and her career as a 'black widow' - seducing and poisoning the male citizens of a small German town circa 1900. The necessarily minimalist treatment and a paternal voice-over which prompts the action suggest an adult fairy tale of sorts, though the combination of Inexorable Destiny and inexplicable behaviour tends to obscure any quasi-feminist intent, the incest theme actually debasing the radical thrust of the femme fatale. Likewise, a potentially absorbing fantasy element (she kills with kisses) is thrown away. The writer-directors optimistically equate pretension with wit, and only Jelmini's alarmingly potent Georgette carries much conviction. A mainstream production might have demanded tighter logic, an exploitation movie could have pushed the subversive stuff, but this drab effort comes from no man's land.