Mascara (1987)

A possessive and insane police chief murders the objects of his affection in a transvestite club. This is very difficult film with a lot of cross-cutting, and a great deal of irrational behaviour by the characters. Not all of the actors are convincing in their roles either. It is clearly written as a psychodrama for opera-lovers.

The film is said to have a heavy psychological undertone, and the plots of the operas Orfeo ed Eurydice and Salomé are intertwined to "justify" Sanders' actions.

Synopsis

At the beginning of the film, Gaby Hart (Charlotte Rampling) is driving in Antwerp in the evening and nearly hits a man on a pedestrian crossing. They exchange words and she drives on, to meet Bert Sanders (Michael Sarrazin); he turns out to be her brother, although this is only obliquely explained. They are both dressed for the opera; she in his favourite colour, white. They drive on to the opera house, but en route they stop briefly at a murder scene. It turns out Sanders is a senior policeman; a transsexual has been killed, and her body is in a full bathtub, with blood in the water.

Soon they go on to the opera, where there is a performance of Orfeo ed Euridice. Sanders seems to be interested in the prima donna, who is wearing an extravagant white robe, and we begin to feel that Sanders' interest is uncomfortably obsessive. And in conversation backstage afterwards -- he evidently has the right connections -- he tells friends that he thinks the dress is fascinating, and that he would like to see Pepper wearing it. We don't yet know who Pepper is.

The art director of the opera comes in and is introduced to Gaby, and it emerges that he is the man whom she nearly ran down in her car earlier. His name is Chris Brine (Derek de Lint), and he is evidently attracted to Gaby; she is flattered but slightly uncomfortable with his sudden attention and introduces him to Sanders, who compliments him on the dress that he has designed. But suddenly Sanders tells Gaby that they need to go; she is startled by the sudden change of mood, but he insists, and departs with only the most curt of farewells to the other people present.

The next day we are in police headquarters, and a woman is ushered in to see Sanders. It is Lana, played by the transsexual actress Romy Haag. She is obviously on intimate terms with Sanders, causing ribald comment among the policemen in the general office. Lana says that she can't go on like this -- there is a maniac out there and Sanders has got to do something about it: she is concerned for Pepper. But Sanders rudely gives her the brush-off and tells her to get out.

Another cut, and Sanders has called in at the opera house, again behind the scenes. He drops in on the designer Brine, and Sanders asks to borrow the fabulous dress worn by Eurydice on stage; he wants it as a present for the birthday of a very special friend, to wear for one day. We know, but Sanders does not, that Brine has just been arranging to meet Gaby Hart, with whom he seems to be infatuated. Sanders talks Brine into allowing the use of the dress, on the condition that Brine can be present. Brine only agrees because he thinks that the wearer is going to be Gaby.

He goes to visit her, apparently at her place, which seems to be a large house on the Belgian coast. She explains that she is widowed and has a daughter about 8 years old called Laura. Some cautious flirtation takes place, but it is clear at this stage that she is not interested in a close relationship. Brine also discovers that her birthday is not soon, so that present of the wearing of the dress cannot be for her after all.

Now Sanders is at Antwerp railway station and he meets a woman arriving by train. It is Pepper, played by the very feminine transsexual actress Eva Robbin's. (Apparently she insists on the apostrophe.) But we don't learn much more at this stage.

Now Sanders has met up with Brine, who is carrying the dress. Sanders takes him to the venue, which is in a mysterious underground tunnel system built in the war. They walk along a series of galleries and enter a dressing room, past a simple neon sign marked "Mister Butterfly". Pepper is there, dressed only in a slip, and Sanders introduces Brine, who is obviously taken aback. But Brine produces the dress, which Pepper thinks is wonderful. She puts it on, and Sanders takes her and Brine along some more tunnels; he asks Brine to wait in a small room, and locks him in.

He takes Pepper into an auditorium, where Lana is singing a rather melancholy version of "Help Me Make it Through the Night". Most of the audience are involved in various forms of fetishistic sex activity; all of this is indistinct, and shot through a very soft-focus lens.

Now suddenly Pepper has everyone's attention as she sings -- or rather lip-synchs -- Eurydice. Everyone applauds.

Sanders and Pepper go backstage and Sanders says how wonderfully she sang. And now a comic is on stage starting some gags.

The audience is appreciative; there seem to be plenty of trans-people.

Back stage Sanders is still going on about how wonderful Pepper was -- it was almost as if it was her singing -- to him personally.

On stage the MC announces that Flora (I think) is going to sing Salomé from the wicked Richard Strauss. Meanwhile Sanders is now going on about his strongest childhood memory, of how his sister was wearing white at her first communion. Pepper seems to have been having trouble undoing the dress but finally it drops to the floor as she faces away from the camera.

Sanders is getting more and more emotional and intense, and Pepper has finally got the dress off. As Sanders' reminiscence reaches a climax, Pepper walks towards us and we see that she is a pre-operative transsexual.

But Sanders is enraptured in his remembered reverie, and gets angry when Pepper breaks into it. Pepper herself gets angry too, as she feels his rejection, and they feed on one another's temper; as Salomé finishes her aria in the other room, Sanders strangles Pepper. He seems only to have a moment of remorse, and then coolly returns the dress to the waiting Brine, pretending that Pepper is too tired to thank him personally.

Sanders drags Pepper's body away from the dressing room and dumps her in the passageways, and two late arriving visitors stumble across it. They contact Sanders and they discuss how to avoid the scandal, with Sanders coolly pretending that he knew nothing of Pepper's death.

Now we cut to Brine and Gaby in bed, evidently after sleeping together. Brine has been dreaming about Sanders, and Gaby refers to Sanders as "my brother". Brine is surprised, as he had assumed that Sanders and Gaby had some romantic connection (and this is the first time we have heard that they are brother and sister).

Meanwhile Lana is calling on Sanders at police headquarters again. He is not welcoming, but she is desperate; Pepper has gone missing; he must do something about it.

Now Gaby is in her apartment at the seaside, and Brine telephones her. He asks her to look out of the window, and she sees him in an apartment opposite. She goes across to see him there, feelingly romantically flattered, but when she sees binoculars hanging by his window, the mood changes in an instant; she accuses him of spying on her, and he becomes aggressive about his own wish to avoid romantic attachments. She detects insinuations about her brother, and Brine starts to imply that he is going to tell her some secrets of Sanders'; but Gaby violently tells him to shut up and they part, angrily.

That evening Gaby is with Sanders; he is melancholy and says that he feels stressed about his work and his life; as his mood deepens he asks her to come away with him now, for ever. She says she can't do that, and comforts him chastely.

Later Gaby is at the theatre, and she sees Brine; she says she needs him, desperately.

The next day we area at police HQ, and a man is telling Sanders that Gaby and Brine are romantically linked.

Now we are at the Mister Butterfly club, and roulette is in progress; Lana is there; there is no news of Pepper. So next we see Lana and some of the others from the club confronting Brine at the theatre; where is Pepper? Of course he says he doesn't know what they are talking about; they say that if she doesn't turn up, there will be an accident -- to him, presumably. He evidently doesn't take the threat seriously.

Sanders turns up at Brine's flat by the seaside; he threatens Brine obliquely, but forcefully, and demands that he use the dress again. Tempers flare but Brine agrees. Suddenly they are talking of Gaby, who can be seen dressing opposite, and Sanders tells Brine to leave her alone.

Sanders leaves and Brine goes down to the house, where Gaby is looking for her daughter. Brine tells Gaby of Sanders' visit and tempers flare again, with Brine threatening to tell her everything about her brother, and her refusing to listen to him.

Now Lana has been brought into police HQ and Sanders asks her about her visit to the theatre to see Brine. She admits it was a mistake. Sanders tells her he wants her to do the Eurydice performance, and Lana is flattered and pleased.

Later we are at the club, and Brine is dressing Lana; he believes that Lana is another girlfriend of Sanders and starts to make aggressive remarks about the relationship; Sanders throws him out, and he wanders round the corridors, until he sees Pepper on the stage, lip-synching to Eurydice. She must have completed dressing very quickly. Lana comes off stage and Sanders takes her to a private room, where he tells her that Brine murdered Pepper. But as Lana begs Sanders for some sign of affection, he suddenly grabs her and strangles her. He then emerges calmly and gives the dress back to Brine, who leaves with it.

Then at the opera house, Sanders is confronted by the other club members; what are we to do now (after two murders at the club)? Sanders says he is pretty sure that Brine is the murderer, and that they can lay a trap for him. Now the Chief Superintendent is with a police colleague outside Brine's house; inside Brine and Gaby are making love, and Gaby has signalled to Brine that she is happy with a long-term relationship. Apparently Sanders has waited overnight, for in daylight we see Brine waking up, and Sanders is in Gaby's flat opposite. Sanders leaves and Brine confronts Gaby, who eventually says that Sanders wanted her to persuade Brine to lend the dress a third time; but Brine has decided not to oppose this anyway.

Now we are at the club, and a third performance of Eurydice is in progress; eventually we see that the performer is Sanders himself, wearing the dress. After the performance Sanders and Brine are alone in a side room; undress me, says Sanders; why is it so difficult for you to be affectionate towards me? I look like Gaby, don't I? I could make you happy. As Sanders licks the back of Brine's neck, Brine rejects Sanders violently. But Sanders persists; I love you; I would do anything for you; I would even kill Gaby.

Brine is horrified and starts to resist Sanders by force; at this point someone bursts in, and Sanders grabs Brine, saying he is the killer. Suddenly several club members and performers are in the room, apparently trying to kick Brine to death. But Gaby has managed to get into the club, and demands to see Brine. Sanders tries to send her away, and he takes the injured Brine and throws him into the sea, but Gaby sees this happen and shouts out. Sanders runs off and Gaby runs after him, until they come to a concrete platform above the raging sea; suddenly Sanders turns back towards her, and Gaby realises that Sanders is irrational and she is in danger. He says he will do anything to ensure her happiness and she says they should forget all of this and go away together. Sanders is mollified and starts to recollect the happy times when they were children, and as he starts to express his relief he inexplicably falls backwards into the sea: poetic justice.

The film has the alternative title Make-up for Murder.

HF January 2003 updated August 2010

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