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June 15, 2008
Rolf de Heer's Alexandra's Project (2002) is a low budget psychological exploration of the undercurrents of a suburban relationship gone sour through a women's oppression of her identity by the husband in a middle-aged marriage in middle class, suburban Australia. It explores the gaping divide in a gendered understanding of sex, intimacy and companionship.
 Almost 2/3rds of the movie consists of Alexandra's disturbing taped monologue about her destruction in the relationship broken up only by occasional pauses in the tape and Steve's reactions, as he, a prisoner in his own home, now has to watch the wife's entire tape, and tries to figure out what the hell is going on.It's a happy birthday present--his wife, a suburban prostitute has left him and taken the kids. He falls apart.
The wife gets her husband's attention by putting herself on camera digital video. We see the digital playback, which manipulates the sense of time and space. What is expressed is a feminist text on sexual objectification in which the video serves a cathartic purpose for her, finally providing an outlet for her grievances and resentments for all the things Steve never let her say whilst he fetishises Alexandra's body.
The claustrophic atmosphere recalls Bad boy Buddy (1993) another eerie, original and twisted film. Everything we see and hear in the description of suburban work and family in the first part of the film is imbued with a weighty, unspecified sense of dread that recalls the work of David Lynch. The second part is an exercise in the humiliation of the husband.
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I haven't seen the movie, but as a non-violent and non-manipulative suburban male whose wife left him and is going through a divorce that he didn't ask for and didn't want - I hate it. It is horrible. The whole process sucks and is inevitably antagonistic.
I am fortunate. I made some decisions which ensured I would fall on my feet. I have also had some luck in private life since too and found a wonderful partner.
But even so. I hate it. Can't express that enough.