The Book of Revelation



The Book of Revelation is a 2006 Australian film based on the novel by Rupert Thompson, directed by Ana Kokkinos and starring Tom Long, Greta Scacchi, Colin Friels, Anna Torv and Deborah Mailman.

Talented and acclaimed dancer Daniel (Long) is preparing for the opening night of a new performance directed by Isabel (Scacchi). When he goes out to get his girlfriend and fellow dancer Bridget (Torv) a packet of cigarettes, he doesn't come back. Tension mounts as he is still absent, and Isabel has to recast his role. She calls on the help of her friend Mark (Friels) a police officer with the Missing Persons division, but he can find no trace of Daniel.

12 days later, Daniel is thrown out of the back of a van. He returns to his and Bridget's apartment, and to the dance studio but will not say what happened, despite the large scratches down his back. In flashback, we learn that Daniel was abducted and held prisoner by three women to be used as their sex slave. They rape him and subject him to several other humiliations before dumping him back in the real world.

Daniel then sets out to find his abductors, and as he's only seen their bodies, begins an investigative odyssey of sexual encounters. It Makes Sense in Context. He soon finds comfort in the arms of Julie (Mailman) who, as a short Aboriginal lady, is automatically ruled out as one of his abductors, and Daniel slowly begins to regain his sense of trust and humanity with the world around him.

The film is very esoteric, and is not one to take lightly. Reviews were mainly positive, praising the performances of all involved (especially Tom Long in a challenging role) but the film is often criticised for being slow, with languid pacing and too much silence trying to pass as meaning. But, as always, mileages vary

Has absolutely nothing to do with the Biblical book, except maybe that the two texts feature people.


 * Acting for Two: Anna Torv plays both Bridget and one of the abductors, though this isn't necessarily meant to mean that Bridget was one of the abductors. Ana Kokkinos just thought she was the best actress for the role.
 * That said, Kokkinos hasn't given an explicit Word of God stating that it's not to be seen that way. The film has some interesting dynamics if you see Bridget as one of the abductors, especially given the hints at their relationship deteriorating.
 * A Date with Rosie Palms: A disturbing one at that, but brings about Daniel's defiant Crowning Moment of Awesome. In the same scene, one of the female captors goes on a date too.
 * Downer Ending:  but at the same time he's about to open up about what happened to him.
 * Dyeing for Your Art: Tom Long learned to dance for the role, and it's probably the least successful part of his performance. While he dances more than adequately, he still shows signs of a man who is not entirely familiar with his body; there's no way Daniel would have been the raging success he and Bridget are said to be.
 * Bondage Is Bad: A literal example.
 * Break the Cutie
 * Film of the Book
 * Hollywood Sex: Averted. Oh, so averted.
 * Karma Houdini: The abductors.
 * Rape as Drama
 * Rape Is Ok When It Is Female On Male: Averted hard. It's shown as every bit as traumatising to Daniel as it is generally shown to female characters in other works. It's even somewhat lampshaded as such when Daniel tries to report the crime under the I Have This Friend guise, only to be told by the police that the friend must have been a lucky bastard. When Daniel joins in their laughter it's heartbreaking.
 * Room Full of Crazy: Daniel's new apartment becomes one as he chalks up tallies of all the women he's slept with trying to find his abductors.
 * Sealed Room in the Middle of Nowhere
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Given that she's present for the first half of the film, Bridget's disappearance from the story seems a bit odd.