Dir. Domiziano Christopharo (2021)
A man is taken captive on a boat by a new lover who may be more dangerous than he seems.
Life is often a matter of limits. Sex, even moreso. For every individual fetish or turn-on that someone has, there is a limit that is important to both recognize and respect. It's an integral piece of companionship that cannot be overstated or overvalued. When those limits are pushed, things begin to get unsafe, and when they're not respected at all, well... things like this happen.
La perdición is about an unhappy man named Mark (Nicholas Sartori) who has gone so far down the rabbit hole of nihilism that he has begun to question even his own existence. He eventually hooks up with a man named Robert (Lorenzo Vivian) who owns a houseboat, and the pair head down below deck to explore Mark's fetishes of being controlled by someone in authority. Unfortunately, Robert has no desire to be consensual, and when he beats Mark and binds him to a leather apparatus that prevents his escape, he sets sail for the open seas and things begin to go from bad to worse for young Mark.
La perdición is an extreme film, filled with explicit sexual scenes and some pretty severe gore as well. It's about as nihilistic as a film can get, and both actors do a phenomenal job of exploring not only their own personal limits but those of humanity as well. It's been a long time since I've seen a film that made me as uncomfortable as this one did, which I'm sure had something to do with me being probably the least gay man on the planet, and as a lover of uncomfortable films, I couldn't have enjoyed this one any more than I did. Director Domiziano Christopharo did some outstanding work here, utilizing everything from the grayscale cinematography to the extremely small location of the houseboat to increase not only the inescapability of Mark's situation but also the stress that was already unavoidable in the plot.
There's a true psychological horror here that is incredibly impactful, this feeling that you're trapped in a confined space with someone who only cares about his own personal enjoyment and seems to be psychologically damaged himself. It's terrifying, and Christopharo really explores just how deeply disturbing a situation like this would be. Sartori is excellent in his role as the helpless victim, and it's really a fascinating role because Mark should be anything but helpless in a situation with the older Robert. Vivian is incredible, though, utterly horrifying and perfectly in control throughout the entire film. It's really a sight to behold, and it's two indie performances that stand above most of the ones I've seen from this sort of low budget filmmaking as of late.
La perdición will definitely not be for everyone. It was definitely right up my alley, though, as this kind of nihilistic film is hard to come by, and one that's as well made as this one even harder. It's an impressive film from a guy whose career is filled with extreme horror, and you can definitely tell his background. Christopharo has an incredible talent in just making you utterly and completely uncomfortable, and I am all the way here for it. While I definitely wouldn't recommend La perdición for the faint of heart, if you're into extreme horror and don't mind some explicit sex to go along with it, you need to check this one out.
Who this movie is for: Extreme horror fans, Nihilistic film lovers, Boaters
Bottom line: La perdición is a dark, depressing, nihilistic look at the boundaries between sex and psychological horror, and it's a truly phenomenal film. It's been a long time since a film made me feel the way that this one did, and if you're a fan of the type of horror that makes you question the existence of good in the world, this one may be for you. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
