In the Cut (2003)

Jane Campion's erotically charged thriller is not of the same ilk as more general, straight up examples of the genre like Basic Instinct (1992) or Fatal Attraction (1987). Her artistic take on the sub genre can be interpreted in many different ways, making for a very entrancing experience. Meg Ryan throws everything at the wall playing Frannie, a high school teacher who dreams of being a novelist. Her world is turned upside down when she meet Detective Malloy (an early performance from Mark Ruffalo) who is investigating what he believes might be a serial killer, after a woman is found dead outside Frannie's apartment building. Campion holds no punches, In The Cut is both violent and sexually explicit, but these combine to make you fully believe in Frannie's turmoil. Based on the novel of the same name by Susanna Moore, this adaptation flirts with many potential reasons for what is going on, including a reading that I saw as the entire script being an erotic novel written by Frannie. I doubt this was Campion's intention, but it proves her strength in style, and makes for a hypnotic, almost supernatural in places, alternative thriller. 7.8/10