Review of Sensuela

Sensuela (1973)
10/10
A psychedelic feminist statement
9 May 2008
Calling this movie the worst in Finnish movie history is a serious misjudgment. Teuvo Tulio's final work was marred by financial troubles, but his story about an innocent Lapland girl turning prostitute is a feast of surreal plot, almost psychedelic colors and over-Brechtian amateur acting. There are some obvious cultural mistakes: for example, in the first scenes Laila, the Lapland girl, is actually wearing men's clothes. These mistakes, however, do not spoil the film as visually it is almost over-stylized.

Sometimes the movie has been called soft porn, but actually it conveys a direct feminist message and works as a critique of objectivation of women. At the same time Laila is shown as an active, not a passive, character. Tulio has also included some intertextual references to his earlier movies, creating a hybrid that constantly walks the line between art, irony and feminist commentary. It's a shame that lack of finances came in the way of Tulio's vision.
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