by MATTHEW HAYS

Bertrand (The Pornographer) Bonello's latest film is Tiresia, a highly unusual recounting of an ancient Greek myth. Here, Tiresia is a trannie hooker working outside of Paris, turning tricks for a few quick bucks. She is picked up by Terranova, a handsome fellow who is obsessed with Tiresia's beauty. As it turns out, he's something of a wacko too. He locks her up in his rural hideaway (you know the kind, the one just far enough away that no one can hear the screams), watching her through a peephole as she suffers in agony.

This is the nasty and twisted part of the movie. Tiresia begs for nutjob to let her go, but he'll hear nothing of it. We're never really made to grasp why on earth he's doing this. (I guess his insanity is supposed to be organic, like the forest they're surrounded by.) Finally, he stabs her in both eyes, stuffs her in the boot of his car, and dumps her in the forest to die.

But Tiresia survives, albeit without vision. Soon after being taken in by a kind couple, she's predicting the fate of various folk in the town, having gained special powers since losing her sight.

There are undoubtedly some moving moments in Tiresia, but I would argue the film loses a great deal of power due to the fact that Bonello has chosen to cast two different people in the central role. Before being brutally blinded, Tiresia is played by a woman, Clara Choveaux, while after, Tiresia is played by a man, Thiago Téles. For me, this shift in the actor's sex at half time led to a break with the film - despite the fact that both deliver exquisite performances. Undoubtedly, this movie would have been infinitely more powerful had the same actor played the role throughout the entire film. (I guess Jaye Davidson was booked.)

As well, at times Bonello's story feels rather forced. With heavy-handed meditations on fate and mythology punctuated by shots of gurgling lava, you too may leave the cinema asking yourself: Is Bonello a brilliant filmmaker or pretentious fop?

Tiresia opens Friday, Dec. 19 at the Ex-Centris

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