Brand new factory sealed dvd restored from the original negative is in French with optional English subtitles. Extras include the trailer and two strong, previously unseen sex scenes.
The film was unfairly regarded as a lesser work, thanks in no small part to its availablity only as unwatchable and edited bootleg tapes. With this release the film looks far better than ever could be expected. The vibrant comic book colors and razor-sharp transfer lends more dignity that is completely missing from all other versions.
Driving along a desolate road at night, Vincent Gardnere is startled to see a disoriented young woman (Brigitte Lahaie) running through the woods. Another woman (Dominique Journet), nude and bordeing on catatonia, watches in despair. Lahaie collapses in front of the car, and Gardnere takes her home where she reveals that she is suffering from amnesia. The two feel an immediate attraction and make love (for a long time); unfortunately, their momentary bliss is shattered when Lahaie is abducted and returned to an austere, postmodern asylum.
Gardnere plays detective and follows her back to the institute, where Journet has also been captured and returned. A series of bizarre events ensue: a nude woman is found with her eyes pierced by scissors, two sexual encounters turn very nasty, and doctors apparently don't seem to care that the people around them are gradually deteriorating into lunatics or walking corpses.
A difficult, somewhat challenging film, rest assured that it is very much in the spirit of David Cronenberg. Well worth checking out, particularly considering the presentation, the central romance leads to an outstanding payoff during the haunting finale, set in a deserted train station.