The most important movie you've never seen- now on Youtube.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

"Closet Land" with Alan Rickman and Madeleine Stowe.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101597

This is the story of a children's book author who is kidnapped, rendered, and tortured by her own government. Their goal is to enforce conformity and eradicate the teaching of free thought to children- ALL children. The author will be broken and made an unperson. She will never be seen again.

Until now this movie has been virtually impossible to locate. It was never released in America on DVD, only VHS tape. It appears to have been deliberately supressed for reasons that will become obvious as you view the tale.

I believe that now is the exact perfect time for this incredible story to be brought back to life. Alongside the almost daily revelations of real torture in the news Closet Land will be seen as nothing less than prophetic. Please watch it and decide for yourself, and then ask yourself "Why did this movie so thoroughly disappear?".

I would say "enjoy", but somehow I don't think that's the right word to use for this one.

Geek note: This movie was the direct inspiration for the Star Trek Next Gen dual episode storyline of Picard being kidnapped and tortured by the Cardassians. I also believe there are more than a few direct parallels within the story of Captain Sheridan's capture and interrogation in Babylon 5.
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Closet Land (on Youtube in 9 parts)


Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF3222B325C04D15&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=6x2drQHkXWw

Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF3222B325C04D15&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=Hc5F9bAmzl0

Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF3222B325C04D15&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=7Mq_gVr2GEQ

Part 4 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DF3222B325C04D15&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=CUVlO5Q5_Eo

Part 5 http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=696F8DF8C57DD48D&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&v=Xb2Umbre7Lc

Part 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6_qbuxOuRI&feature=PlayList&p=F108D04E928B907F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=7

Part 7 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1CkB3_gqEI&feature=PlayList&p=F3977E0FA294F492&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

Part 8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sz8B3GRC3c&feature=PlayList&p=72BD0DCD8EBB23EF&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=48

Part 9 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOxJnMWlIAQ&feature=PlayList&p=FFFFD0387FF215FD&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=12

[FedUpWithIt All]

1. Has been one of my all time FAVS since i was a kid. Watched it dozens.

Thank you!!!

Eeek! I cannot wait to show it to my film obsessed daughter. Very cool set if memory serves.

Thanks again.

[TexasObserver]

2. You're right. It is very important, and very timely.

I saw it several years ago, and no doubt have it saved on VHS tape somewhere. Ah, but where?

[BattyDem]

3. Alan Rickman? That's all I needed to know.

:loveya:

Thanks for the link. I'll definitely check it out. :hi:

Geek comment: The ST:TNG two-part "torture" episode, "Chain of Command" is one of my all time favorites. Patrick Stewart and David Warner (who plays Picard's captor, Gul Madred) are incredible! :-)

[CoffeeCat]

4. Wow, that was not what I expected... *spoilers*

So, was he truly her tormentor and the man who sexually abused her as a child?

Although this film depicted torture and the systematic attempt to break a person's will--this
film wasn't really about torture.

It was about coping with, and ultimately, freeing yourself from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse.

The entire thing was a metaphor.

The book she wrote was a metaphor for survivors speaking out--telling. Her book was full of imagery from real abuse and also
depicted what children often do to cope with abuse while it is happening---they disassociate.

Her torture, and the pain she endured--represented what society does to victims who do speak out. They are often told that
what they are doing is wrong, or bad...or causing trouble. They literally are "tortured" for daring to come forward. By the
justice system, by the police who don't believe them or can't help them, and often by family members who abandon them or refuse
to believe them.

The paper he kept wanting her to sign, signified how abusers steal the will of their victims--and demand that you take on their
version of events. The child is to blame. The child made this happen. They child is wrong and will never be believed. You
must "sign onto" the perpetrators version of events...or the threats commence.

In the end, when confronted with her perpetrator--she didn't sign or cave--even though he made it clear that he would destroy her.

Walking away in the end--she gained her freedom--because she refused to live by his sick rules any more.

She refused to carry the shame--which was really his shame. As he said, "What difference does it make, it's a pack of lies?" as
he tried to get her to sign and agree to the lies.

She refused. Therefore, she is free.

This is not a movie about torture. This is a movie about recovering from childhood sexual abuse. Children don't heal--because
they take up the shame and the pain for the abuser. Healing is about taking back your power and disregarding all of the
distortions that the perpetrator drilled into you--and replacing them with truth.

By not signing that paper, she chose truth--and was able to set herself free.

I also think this thread should be marked as a massive trigger---for those who have been abused as children.

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. From the director...

Radha Bharadwaj on Closet Land:
While it is my fondest hope that a work ultimately speaks for itself, the experiences behind the making and the release of Closet Land, and the years that followed my film’s release, have taught me that the voice of the creator of a work cannot get lost in the mix. Without the creator’s intention on record, everything becomes a matter of third party interpretation, speculation, and, at times, even distortion. This is to set the record straight.

Closet Land is not based on a play or a book. It is my original work. From the get-go, I conceived of it as a film, and I wrote it as a screenplay. I fully intended it to debut as a film—not as theatre or as a book. Because film is the only medium fully equipped to take the audience directly into intense emotional states—be they of pain, or of joy. Closet Land, which indeed deals with torture and physical abuse, deals with pain. What my best viewers have also understood is that my film, despite being about torture, also deals with the exhilaration of freedom and the power of human imagination—because my film is not only about torture.

http://www.closetland.com/closetland/closetland.html

[pnorman]

6. Amazon describes it as "Discontinued", but the DVD is available there ($25)

$25 isn't out of reach for me, but it's still a bit steep. I had never heard of it until now. Thanks for the heads up! I'll check out the YouTube first, and see it I want to order the (higher quality) DVD.

pnorman
On edit: DANG! "Region 2.0 encoding (This DVD will not play on most DVD players sold in the US or Canada . This item requires a region specific or multi-region DVD player and compatible". But it's available on VHS tape ("Used, Very Good" for $10.50), and the recommendation is high (4.5 star of 5, from 44 customer reviews)

[greyl]

7. It's Region 2, so won't play on most US/Canadian players.

However, Amazon also sells Phillips DVD players that handle DVDs, avis, mpegs, and divx movies, as well as all Region codes.

[pnorman]

8. Thanks. I had already discovered that before I saw this.

I watch all my DVDs on the computer(s), and don't feel ready to spring for a separate player. I've been off TV for over decade, so the picture quality of my ~20 year old TV is still pretty good. I've been replacing as many as I could of my good tapes with DVDs, but I still have a few that aren't available in DVD. I REALLY dislike staring at that picture tube, but if those YouTube videos interest me, I'll go for the VHS tape.

pnorman

[Joanne98]

9. bookmarked for later... K&R