The Duke of Burgundy (2014) Movie Review

『A Dreamlike Psychological Drama Capturing Desire, Power, and Subtle Cracks in Relationships』

🎥 Movie Overview

🎬 Title: The Duke of Burgundy (2014)
🌍 Country: 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🎞️ Genre: Erotic / Romance / Drama
📢 Director/Writer: Peter Strickland

👩‍💼 Cast: Sidse Babett Knudsen – Cynthia
Chiara D'Anna – Evelyn

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🦋 Between Domination and Submission (Surface)

The story centers on the older lepidopterist Cynthia and her young maid Evelyn. Evelyn rides her bicycle to Cynthia’s mansion to perform chores such as cleaning and laundry. When Evelyn makes mistakes or fails to meet Cynthia’s high standards, Cynthia becomes a strict, cold mistress (Domme) and imposes humiliating punishments. These punishments, often including S&M elements such as whipping, foot worship, and wearing specific outfits, are repeatedly enacted.

🔗 Reversal in Relationship Dynamics (Hidden Truths)

As the film progresses, it is revealed that the entire 'mistress-maid' dynamic is actually a role-play meticulously designed and directed by Evelyn. Evelyn is, in fact, Cynthia’s lover, providing Cynthia with handwritten notes and scripts dictating lines, actions, and even the timing of specific props. The outwardly dominant Cynthia is, in reality, just an actor satisfying Evelyn’s sexual fantasies to avoid losing her. Conversely, Evelyn, the submissive, controls virtually every aspect of the relationship, making her the real 'dominator'. Cynthia grows exhausted from Evelyn’s obsessive demands, craving an ordinary, genuine relationship, yet she recognizes that Evelyn’s desire is the sole force keeping their relationship alive.

🎭 Conflicts and Relationship Crisis

Evelyn’s demands become increasingly extreme and dark. She wants a custom-made bed with storage, but when production takes too long, she refuses it and instead demands to spend the night locked inside a wooden box/trunk. Cynthia feels immense psychological fatigue and alienation, sensing she is becoming merely a tool for Evelyn’s fetish. On Evelyn’s birthday, Cynthia tries to express genuine love. She improvises a punishment different from usual, ordering Evelyn to eat a birthday cake she baked while placing her feet on Evelyn’s face. However, this is not what Evelyn scripted, and she shouts the safeword "Pinastri". Cynthia ignores it and continues the act, but ultimately breaks down in tears, collapsing the character.

🦋 Emotional Resonance and Significance

💥 Hidden Power Structures Within Role-Play

The film’s most striking element is that the power in the D/S role-play operates differently than expected. Initially, the older lepidopterist Cynthia appears as the strict 'domme' and Evelyn as the submissive 'maid.' It soon becomes clear that the situation is a play meticulously scripted and directed by Evelyn.

• Labor of Love: Cynthia does not derive sexual excitement from the role-play itself; she endures the painful performance solely to avoid losing Evelyn’s love. The dominator’s role becomes a tedious, exhausting 'labor' to satisfy her partner. This paradox, while rooted in fetish, deeply examines the universal challenge of meeting a partner’s expectations.

• The 'Bossy Bottom' Paradox: Evelyn desires to be dominated but must control her partner to satisfy that desire. True power lies not with Cynthia giving orders, but with Evelyn controlling the content and execution of those orders.

🧠 Style and Mise-en-Scène: The World of Moths

Director Strickland creates a dreamlike, aesthetic style influenced by 1960s–70s Euro-Cult Erotica and Italian Giallo films.

• Sensual but Non-Nude Eroticism: The film is highly erotic without explicit nudity. It focuses on fetish props and tactile elements—silk stockings, leather gloves, high-heeled sounds, and elaborate lingerie—stimulating the audience’s imagination rather than relying on visual exposure. It artistically explores desire to see and touch beyond mere eroticism.

• Lepidopterist Metaphor: Set in a surreal world of women studying butterflies and moths, absent men. 'The Duke of Burgundy' is a moth species. Butterflies and moths symbolize metamorphosis, capture, preservation, and delicate desire. Evelyn’s obsessive fetish is reflected as a desire to precisely fix moths in place, representing her control obsession.

🎲 Banality and Repetition in Relationships

The Duke of Burgundy captures the 'banality' of fantasy to reveal relational reality.

• Boredom and Exhaustion: What was once thrilling role-play becomes routine, causing Cynthia to feel fatigue and monotony. She sighs as she dons pajamas and reads the next day’s script, showing that even extreme sexual fantasies can become tedious obligations in daily life.
• Compromise and Cycle: At the climax of conflict, Cynthia bursts into tears expressing human emotion, temporarily halting the role-play. Yet, by the film’s end, she reluctantly resumes following Evelyn’s new instructions, returning to the prior role-play. This implies that accommodating a partner’s desires is a 'compromise and fated cycle' in love, leaving a cruel yet realistic aftertaste.

🪀The Universal Truth of Relationships

The Duke of Burgundy uses the most personal and specialized form of love (BDSM) to convey the most universal truths of relationships. Its delicate style and peculiar world captivate the audience, but at the center lies the painstaking effort of two women to give themselves, perform roles, and constantly maintain balance for love. This film resonates deeply with anyone who experiences conflict between 'being their true self' and 'performing for love' in a relationship.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★☆