My Opinion

I think, while it did not do so well at the box office, 'The Book Of Revelation' was an artistically successful film.

It is visually stunning, with very bold colour. The characters are generally wearing very dark clothing against strong bright backgrounds. The framing is also very well done, making images beautiful.

The costume design is extremely good. When reading the novel, I pictured the robes of the three women exactly as they appear in the film. The set design is also very effective. The viewer learns a lot about the characters by what is placed around them, at their homes. There are posters of Daniel and Bridget from all over the world on their apartment walls, telling us that they are world famous and that they tour. The feel of the apartment is also very cold and sterile, telling us that they are cold to each other. Their clothing is also very simple and cold. Julie, on the other hand, wears very eye catching clothing, with lots of colurs, almost like hippy shirts. This shows her warm personality.

The score is very effective, strings creating tension between characters. The sound effects are also used to tell the story. When Daniel is let out of the van, we can hear what he can hear under his hood. When he takes the hood off the sound gets louder, as it would for Daniel.

The plot is very open ended, letting the viewer make up their own mind. It presents us with some ideas about sexual power in a new way. We are generally shown men overpowering women. In this film, we are very explicitly shown women overpowering men. By showing this, it makes room for discussion about sexual politics and the roles that men and women play in society.

When Daniel tries to tell the police what happened to him and they laugh it off, we are shown that society in general sees men as sexual perverts. If a man can have sex with three women then he has nothing to complain about. It is apparently every man's dream. 'The Book Of Revelation' shows us that this is not necessarily the case. When Daniel is forced to masterbate infront of the three women, he is told that some men would pay to do what he is doing. He replies, 'If I was paying, it would be my choice. This is not my choice.'

It also takes away from the silly idea that women are always helpless victims. Three women abduct a man and take away all of his power. It is not a ridiculous story. Everything we are shown is possible. We are also shown the sexuality of women in a light that it is not often seen. For some reason, society sometimes sees women who sleep around as sluts, but if a man does it then he's a hero. When Daniel is looking for the three women, he sleeps with many women. We are shown the way they look at him as a sexual object and use him for their pleasure. The first three girls he suspects appear as if they take men home often, as if this is something they have done before. They know what they want, and they try and get it. It's interesting that if men were shown in this light then they would be seen as rapists, but three women wanting to have sex with a man is not necessarily seen in that light.

Kokkinos' earlier film, 'Head On', also deals with sex and what is expected of men. Ari, played by Alex Dimitriades, is a young Greek Australian who is expected by his family to be a certain way. Instead, he has sex with random men and the film has a very grim ending. It appears that Ari finally finds love, but he ruins it, as if he feels undeserving of happiness.

The sex and nudity in both films is very explicit. I think this is necessary to get the message across. If it were not explicit, no one would be talking about it. It is almost as if a gut reaction from seeing something that looks real is necessary to get a strong reaction in an audience, to make them engage with a film.

The discussions about the issues raised in the film are endless, and I think that is what makes it so successful. While it is a well made and interesting film to watch, it is more interesting after viewing, to ponder the issues and questions that the film raises.