Substack: Folie à deux

Over on my Substack: riffing on one of my favorite subjects: the Folie à deux, in film, plays, books, and of course in life. Culminating in a discussion of Joël Séria’s controversial 1971 film Mais ne Nous Délivrez Pas du Mal (Don’t Deliver Us From Evil), never released in the States, inspired by the Parker-Hulme murders (beating Heavenly Creatures by 25 years). A haunting eerie film, marketed as horror/exploitation, but … it escapes those confines. It’s brilliant.

 
 
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4 Responses to Substack: Folie à deux

  1. Bill Wolfe says:

    Although I haven’t seen it, your analysis of it makes me think that Don’t Deliver Us from Evil would make an interesting double bill with one of my favorite films from the 1960s, The World of Henry Orient. That movie also focuses on, to use your description:

    “…two young girls, bored out of their minds. crushed under the oppression of their education and the prudery of their culture. They have no appropriate outlet. But still, they are just young girls.”

    I suspect that, like the two girls in Henry Orient, Don’t Deliver Us also features parents who are at least somewhat neglectful of their children. The obvious difference between the two films is that the girls’ friendship in Henry Orient is ultimately beneficial to both – although it’s not difficult to imagine it going another, less benign way, with one or two slightly different plot twists along the way.

    • sheila says:

      Bill – first of all, thank you so much for subscribing. I really appreciate it!

      I have not seen Henry Orient – interesting.

      Yeah, I think one of the things I find so interesting in these teenage-girl folie a deux stories is that … the “tropes” – of girls running around laughing and giggling and having so much fun – comes with a certain connotation – or vibe – and women of course have memories of making friends with people, some of whom will be your friends for your whole life.

      So the FEELINGS are the same but then … the results are so drastically different. what is it that makes some of these friendships turn deadly? Could it happen to ANYone? or is it just something in these particular people? something that makes them more prone to … suggestion, or violence?

      It’s been a while since I’ve seen Do Not Deliver Us From Evil – but my memory is mainly of Anne’s parents, intellectuals, brainy, cerebral – somewhat disconnected, distracted by their own pursuits – and 100% out of touch with how OFF their daughter is. So – Anne might be wealthy but shes also being neglected.

      I imagine that being sent off to a convent school was sort of a normal thing for girls of her class – so I don’t think part is necessarily neglectful – but she clearly is just not being paid attention to at ALL by her parents when she’s home.

      • Bill Wolfe says:

        I think you’d enjoy Henry Orient. Angela Lansbury gives an excellent performance as a mother who might be a cousin of her mother in The Manchurian Candidate. By contrast, Tom Bosley is able to show decency and regret in his role as the other girl’s father. Both girls, neither a professional actress as far as I know, were natural and full of life. Plus, I love movies set in Manhattan in the 1950s and early ’60s. I’ve always found it interesting that Man’s Man director George Roy Hill made this movie, which I’d argue was his best. I sought it out because Andrw Sarris gave it a glowing recommendation in one of his weekly capsule reviews in the Village Voice many decades ago and I’ve always been glad I did.

        • sheila says:

          I love George Roy Hill, I love all these people (including Andrew Sarris). I will definitely check this one out – thank you!

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