Jose Benazeraf's "Frustration" is a superior example of a sexploitation film which is well-enough made to classify as an arthouse flick. The film's portrayal of the interior erotic life ofa sexually repressed woman, whose fantasies turn increasingly disturbing, is handled better than anyone would have expected from a supposedly sleazy Euro exploitation flick.
Even the nudity, of which there is much, is handled in a tasteful and non-exploitative way.
Benazeraf's direction of the fantasy scenes, above all, is superlative. The cinematography in these scenes is subtle yet mesmerising.
It is beyond me how Benazeraf isn't better known; perhaps this was his only decent movie: it certainly seems to be his best known. His tag as "The French Tinto Brass" is ridiculous. Brass never had this much skill.
Even the nudity, of which there is much, is handled in a tasteful and non-exploitative way.
Benazeraf's direction of the fantasy scenes, above all, is superlative. The cinematography in these scenes is subtle yet mesmerising.
It is beyond me how Benazeraf isn't better known; perhaps this was his only decent movie: it certainly seems to be his best known. His tag as "The French Tinto Brass" is ridiculous. Brass never had this much skill.