A Woman Kills (1968) – Jean-Denis Bonan.

Visually compelling, often chilling, this bitterly stark, almost unappetisingly glum feature about a misogynistic serial killing remains an impactful work, even if much of the pedantic text lacks finesse. Avid Euro-cultists should seek it out, but they may find some of the unsophisticated dialogue distractingly clunky. Many directors have a great visual sensibility, and some can write, all too few can do both effectively, Bonan is a dynamic, undeniably exciting, risk-taking film-maker, sporadically undone by his predilection for prosaic chat. I didn't love the screenplay, yet it must be noted that the oppressive A Woman Kills rigorously maintains a palpably bleak atmosphere that recalls Angst, and Lommel's chilling 'The Tenderness of Wolves'. While A Woman Kills may not be ideal viewing for those with fundamentally mainstream tastes, its bracingly transgressive elements should prove exhilarating to those who actively favour esoteric cinema. As one might expect, Radiance have produced an exquisite-looking, beautifully packaged disc, and I have absolutely no doubt that I shall be revisiting this intriguingly crepuscular Euro-chiller again, while a undeniably depressive experience, it is raw, and morbidly fascinating, the director has an aggressively confrontational style that I couldn't help but admire.