Suite 16

A young hustler, Chris, hides from the police in a hotel room. He threatens the resident, a rich invalid called Glover (Postlethwaite): he has killed once, he says, and will do so again. Glover is entirely accommodating; in fact, he persuades Chris (Kamerling) to stay on after the storm has passed. He will provide for the youth's every need in return for the vicarious pleasure this will afford him. At first, Chris can't believe his luck... but soon Glover's jaundiced palette demands more violent stimulation. Deruddere's third film is a sleazy, degenerate and thoroughly compelling yarn, a wayward thriller which calls equally on the extremes of continental exploitation and art movies. Despite a colourless performance from Kamerling, Deruddere mines the maximum impact from the psychological power games, and the film kicks into a higher gear with the introduction of the talented Pailhas as Helen, the third side of a climactic SM triangle. It runs hot and cold - like blood.