Page 85 - Alternative Europe Eurotrash and Exploitation Cinema Since 1945

FIGURE 9 Unrequited love and crime in 5.

of course recalls the Affaire Dutroux, the organised abduction and abuse of children, with the failure
of justice by any other means than through outright anger and violence itself, reflecting popular
opinion in Belgium at the time of the Affaire's eruption. The claustrophobic atmosphere of S. also
calls into mind the situation in many metropolitan areas, with a continuous climate of fear and
insecurity, governed by organised crime.
More importantly is that, through its suggestion of the intimate connection between sex, violence
and power, S. puts the human body at the centre of social conflict and cultural crises. The true
meaning of S. lies in the link between the Affaire and the human body of the protagonist, both victim
and perpetrator. First of all, there is the issue of the film's story world. Strictly speaking, the film
shows a reality that is politically, socially and psychologically undefined, and which does not readily
represent a known real-world fabula. But even though S. may be fictitious, the way in which it is
shown (explicit, blasphemous and raw) makes it all too real. This is largely the result of the emphasis
on the physical aspects of the story world.
Because they take up so much screen time, the viewer is forced to watch the intimate and gory
details of the humiliating, horrible and, literally, dirty situations in which S. finds herself. The film
abounds with blood, sweat, tears, run-down make-up, rain running from faces, spit, organs, wounds,

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