Rent Track 29 (1988)

Enigmatic Erotic Thriller - Track 29 review by GI

In the hands of director Nicolas Roeg and writer Dennis Potter it's of no surprise that this erotic thriller has a depraved and twisted aura to it. It's a story of repressed guilt and traumatic emotion that spills forth into a tale of sexual frustration and murder. Theresa Russell is Linda, a bored Southern housewife desperate for a baby but deprived by her nerdy doctor husband, Henry (Christopher Lloyd). He's more interested in his elaborate model railway set up and the adulation he gets from his nurse colleague who indulges his sexual fantasies and the hero-worship from his fellow train enthusiasts. As Linda becomes more depressed she threatens suicide but is shocked when an enigmatic young Englishman, Martin (Gary Oldman) shows up claiming to be the child she gave up for adoption many years ago after being raped as a teenager. Oldman gives his early twitchy, manic and unpredictable style to Martin who flits between a seducer to a dangerous man/child as Linda struggles with the erotic emotions she feels for him. At all times the narrative never lets you grasp fully what is real or imagined. This is an interesting addition to the cycle of erotic thrillers of the 80s. such as Body Heat (1981), Body Double (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986) and that enigmatic sense to the narrative is very reminiscent of David Lynch's film although typical of Roeg. Viewed today this still pushes boundaries and does feel as if at any point it will tip over into bad taste but it's a film worthy of discovery if you've never seen it.