MURDER and murder

Mildred is a professor who has lived as a lesbian for as long as she can remember. Doris, a mother of grown children, is taking classes and is falling in love with a woman for the first time. From different backgrounds and circumstances, Mildred and Doris try to carve out a life together. The film investigates the pleasures, uncertainties and ambiguities of late-life emotional attachment and lesbian identity within the confines of a culture that glorifies youth and heterosexual romance. The story is haunted by the ghosts of Doris’ mother Jenny and an 18-year-old Mildred. Running parallel is a commentary by Rainer, disturbing the narrative with the asymmetries of her mastectomized chest. “MURDER and murder” deals with “deviant” sexuality, female aging, and breast cancer, reflecting upon cultural and scientifically determined perceptions of disease. Rainer employs humour, slapstick and visual metaphor to examine notions of pathology. Deliciously wry and articulate, “MURDER and murder” challenges as it rewards.